Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Genitourinary Medicine logoLink to Genitourinary Medicine
. 1986 Feb;62(1):47–52. doi: 10.1136/sti.62.1.47

Rectal spirochaetosis in homosexual men: characterisation of the organism and pathophysiology.

C Cooper, D W Cotton, M J Hudson, N Kirkham, F E Wilmott
PMCID: PMC1011889  PMID: 3949351

Abstract

Microbiological and electron microscopy studies were carried out on rectal biopsy specimens and faecal samples from eight practising male homosexuals and five heterosexual controls. Rectal spirochaetosis was present in five of the eight homosexual men. The organism was cultured and morphologically identified as a large anaerobic host associated treponeme. The degrees of infestation and depletion of microvilli were also measured. The results are discussed in relation to the possible clinical importance of rectal spirochaetosis.

Full text

PDF
47

Images in this article

50Image
on p.50
50Image
on p.50
51Image
on p.51
51Image
on p.51

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cotton D. W., Kirkham N., Hicks D. A. Rectal spirochaetosis. Br J Vener Dis. 1984 Apr;60(2):106–109. doi: 10.1136/sti.60.2.106. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dobbins W. O., 3rd, Weinstein W. M. Electron microscopy of the intestine and rectum in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Gastroenterology. 1985 Mar;88(3):738–749. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(85)90145-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Henrik-Nielsen R., Lundbeck F. A., Teglbjaerg P. S., Ginnerup P., Hovind-Hougen K. Intestinal spirochetosis of the vermiform appendix. Gastroenterology. 1985 Apr;88(4):971–977. doi: 10.1016/s0016-5085(85)80016-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hovind-Hougen K., Birch-Andersen A., Henrik-Nielsen R., Orholm M., Pedersen J. O., Teglbjaerg P. S., Thaysen E. H. Intestinal spirochetosis: morphological characterization and cultivation of the spirochete Brachyspira aalborgi gen. nov., sp. nov. J Clin Microbiol. 1982 Dec;16(6):1127–1136. doi: 10.1128/jcm.16.6.1127-1136.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hudson M. J., Hill M. J., Elliott P. R., Berghouse L. M., Burnham W. R., Lennard-Jones J. E. The microbial flora of the rectal mucosa and faeces of patients with Crohn's disease before and during antimicrobial chemotherapy. J Med Microbiol. 1984 Dec;18(3):335–345. doi: 10.1099/00222615-18-3-335. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lee F. D., Kraszewski A., Gordon J., Howie J. G., McSeveney D., Harland W. A. Intestinal spirochaetosis. Gut. 1971 Feb;12(2):126–133. doi: 10.1136/gut.12.2.126. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. McMillan A., Lee F. D. Sigmoidoscopic and microscopic appearance of the rectal mucosa in homosexual men. Gut. 1981 Dec;22(12):1035–1041. doi: 10.1136/gut.22.12.1035. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Nielsen R. H., Orholm M., Pedersen J. O., Hovind-Hougen K., Teglbjaerg P. S., Thaysen E. H. Colorectal spirochetosis: clinical significance of the infestation. Gastroenterology. 1983 Jul;85(1):62–67. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Takeuchi A., Jervis H. R., Nakazawa H., Robinson D. M. Spiral-shaped organisms on the surface colonic epithelium of the monkey and man. Am J Clin Nutr. 1974 Nov;27(11):1287–1296. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/27.11.1287. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Tompkins D. S., Waugh M. A., Cooke E. M. Isolation of intestinal spirochaetes from homosexuals. J Clin Pathol. 1981 Dec;34(12):1385–1387. doi: 10.1136/jcp.34.12.1385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Genitourinary Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES