scholarly journals Tropheryma whippleiCrystalline Keratopathy: Report of a Case and Updated Review of the Literature

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Schoenberger ◽  
Sumeer Thinda ◽  
Stephen J. Kim

Purpose. To report a case ofTropheryma whippleiinfection with crystalline keratopathy and review the recent literature on the presentation, diagnosis, and management of Whipple's disease.Methods. Detailed case presentation and extensive literature search of Pubmed for all years through February 2012 using the following search terms:Whipple's disease, Tropheryma whipplei, corneal deposits, crystalline keratopathy, and uveitis. Relevant articles were retrieved and analyzed. English abstracts were used for non-English articles. Cross-referencing was employed and reference lists from selected articles were used to identify additional pertinent articles.Results. Diagnosis of Whipple's disease remains challenging and untreated infection can result in mortality. Ocular signs and symptoms are usually nonspecific, but several independent cases have reported the presence of intraocular crystals or crystalline-like deposits.Conclusions. The presence of intraocular crystals or crystalline-like deposits may be an identifying feature of ocular Whipple’s disease.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 212-218
Author(s):  
M. Maciorkowska ◽  
W. Ustymowicz ◽  
M. Zakrzewski ◽  
A. Pryczynicz ◽  
A. Markowski ◽  
...  

Introduction: Whipple’s disease is a chronic systemic infectious disorder with Tropheryma whipplei as an etiologic agent, occurring rarely and affecting numerous organs and systems. The variety of symptoms and a non-typical course make it difficult to establish a proper diagnosis. Purpose: In this study, etiopathogenesis, diagnostics and treatment of Whipple’s disease were presented based on the case report of 60-year-old man diagnosed with Whipple’s disease. Case presentation: Persistent diarrhoea with weight loss, lymphadenopathy in the abdominal cavity and moderate microcytic anemia predominated in the clinical picture. Diagnosis was put based on the clinical picture and macroscopic assessment of the small intestine and the presence of macrophages filled with a PAS-positive substance in the lamina propria. To deepen diagnostics, samples collected were assessed showing macrophages with the damaged mucosa, containing numerous elongated micro-organisms whose ultrastructure corresponded to Tropheryma whipplei. The patient’s clinical conditions improved after antibiotic therapy. Conclusions: It is vital to remember about Whipple’s disease in patients with chronic diseases due to a non-specific clinical picture and difficulties in establishing a proper diagnosis. When the disease is diagnosed unequivocally, proper and effective antibiotic therapy should be instituted immediately.


2004 ◽  
Vol 62 (2a) ◽  
pp. 342-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcondes C. França Jr ◽  
Rafael de Castro ◽  
Márcio Luiz F. Balthazar ◽  
George Linard S. Malveira ◽  
Clodoaldo Pirani Jr ◽  
...  

Whipple's disease (WD) is an uncommon multisystem condition caused by the bacillus Tropheryma whipplei. Central nervous system involvement is a classical feature of the disease observed in 20 to 40% of the patients. We report the case of a 62 yeards old man with WD that developed neurological manifestations during its course, and discuss the most usual signs and symptoms focusing on recent diagnostic criteria and novel treatment regimens.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Marth

Background: The actinobacterium Tropheryma whipplei was detected 20 years ago by molecular techniques, and following its culture has been characterized as the cause of a systemic infection known as Whipple's disease (WD). T. whipplei occurs in the environment, is prevalent only in humans, is believed to be transmitted via oral routes and to be host dependent. Key Messages: The classical form of T. whipplei infection, i.e. classical WD (CWD), is rare. It is well defined as slowly progressing chronic infection with arthralgia, diarrhea and weight loss, mostly in middle-aged men. However, current research revealed a much broader spectrum of clinical features associated with T. whipplei infection. Thus, T. whipplei may cause acute and transient infections (observed primarily in children) and the bacterium, which is found in soil and water, occurs in asymptomatic carriers as well as in CWD patients in clinical remission. In addition, T. whipplei affects isolated and localized body compartments such as heart valves or the central nervous system. Subtle immune defects and HLA associations have been described. New findings indicate that the progression of asymptomatic T. whipplei infection to clinical WD may be associated with medical immunosuppression and with immunomodulatory conditions. This explains that there is a discrepancy between the widespread occurrence of T. whipplei and the rareness of WD, and that T. whipplei infection triggered by immunosuppression presents with protean clinical manifestations. Conclusions: This review highlights recent findings and the clinical spectrum of infection with T. whipplei and WD, focusing specifically on the role of host immunity and immunosuppression. Current concepts of the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. e34-e34 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Gorvel ◽  
K Al Moussawi ◽  
E Ghigo ◽  
C Capo ◽  
J-L Mege ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 1501-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Ghigo ◽  
Christian Capo ◽  
Marianne Aurouze ◽  
Ching-Hsuan Tung ◽  
Jean-Pierre Gorvel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Tropheryma whipplei was established as the agent of Whipple's disease in 2000, but the mechanisms by which it survives within host cells are still unknown. We show here that T. whipplei survives within HeLa cells by controlling the biogenesis of its phagosome. Indeed, T. whipplei colocalized with lysosome-associated membrane protein 1, a membrane marker of late endosomal and lysosomal compartments, but not with cathepsin D, a lysosomal hydrolase. This defect in phagosome maturation is specific to live organisms, since heat-killed bacilli colocalized with cathepsin D. In addition, T. whipplei survived within HeLa cells by adapting to acidic pH. The vacuoles containing T. whipplei were acidic (pH 4.7 ± 0.3) and acquired vacuolar ATPase, responsible for the acidic pH of late phagosomes. The treatment of HeLa cells with pH-neutralizing reagents, such as ammonium chloride, N-ethylmaleimide, bafilomycin A1, and chloroquine, increased the intravacuolar pH and promoted the killing of T. whipplei. The ability of T. whipplei to survive in an acidic environment and to interfere with phagosome-lysosome fusion is likely critical for its prolonged persistence in host cells during the course of Whipple's disease. Our results suggest that manipulating the intravacuolar pH may provide a new approach for the treatment of Whipple's disease.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e1000722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khatoun Al Moussawi ◽  
Eric Ghigo ◽  
Ulrich Kalinke ◽  
Lena Alexopoulou ◽  
Jean-Louis Mege ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e13-e22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Marth ◽  
Verena Moos ◽  
Christian Müller ◽  
Federico Biagi ◽  
Thomas Schneider

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 747-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Areen Boulos ◽  
Jean-Marc Rolain ◽  
Didier Raoult

ABSTRACT Whipple's disease is considered a rare chronic disease with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Several antibiotics have been used for the treatment of this disease, and the current reference treatment was determined empirically on the basis of only a few clinical observations. Patients should be treated for months, and many relapse after antibiotic withdrawal. We report here the first extensive study on the susceptibilities of three reference strains of Tropheryma whipplei to antibiotic in cell culture by using a real-time PCR assay as previously described. We found that doxycycline, macrolides, ketolides, aminoglygosides, penicillin, rifampin, teicoplanin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were active, with MICs ranging from 0.25 to 2 μg/ml. Vancomycin was somewhat active at an MIC of 10 μg/ml. We found heterogeneity in the susceptibility to imipenem, with one strain being susceptible and the two other strains being resistant. Cephalosporins, colimycine, aztreonam, and fluoroquinolones were not active. We also demonstrated that a combination of doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine was bactericidal. This combination has been shown to be active in the treatment of patients suffering from chronic infections with Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium that is also found intracellularly in acidic vacuoles. We believe, then, that this combination therapy should be further evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of Whipple's disease.


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