Whipple's disease - rare malady with uncommon potential

Article Abstract:

Whipple's disease a rare disorder is caused by a bacterial infection. It is not contagious, and it can be treated with antibiotics. Patients with Whipple's disease often have diseased tissue that is filled with 'foam' cells. Foam cells are cells of the immune system that contain bacterial fragments and intact bacteria. The bacterium that causes Whipple's disease cannot be grown in the laboratory using traditional microbiological techniques. Very little is known about this bacterium. A research study used molecular biology techniques to analyse the genetic material of bacteria in diseased tissue from Whipple's disease patients. It found that genetic material of the bacterium that causes Whipple's disease is similar to that of actinobacteria, a type of bacteria found in the soil. These findings may enable the development of diagnostic test for Whipple's disease.

Identification and classification, Bacteria, Pathogenic, Pathogenic bacteria, Actinomycetales

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Whipple's disease -- past, present, and future

Article Abstract:

The ability to culture the bacterium that causes Whipple's disease should hopefully lead to a diagnostic test. Whipple's disease was first linked to bacterial infection in 1949. In 1992, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect bacterial RNA in 5 patients with Whipple's disease. The bacterium was named Tropheryma whippelii, and belonged to a class of bacteria called actinomycetes. This explained why many patients were successfully treated with antibiotics. However, the bacterium was very difficult to grow in biological cultures. This was finally achieved in a study published in 2000.

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Whipple's disease

Article Abstract:

The discovery of Whipple's disease and its causative bacterium Tropheryma whipplei that is a prime example of how modern technologies contribute to medical knowledge is discussed. A high dose of sulfamethoxazole or sulfadiazine is recommended for patients with neurologic involvement.

France, Care and treatment, Diagnosis, Risk factors, Disease/Disorder overview

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