Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Medical Journal logoLink to British Medical Journal
. 1975 Sep 6;3(5983):568–570. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5983.568

Isolation and characterization of an aetiological agent in Whipple's disease.

R L Clancy, W A Tomkins, T J Muckle, H Richardson, W E Rawls
PMCID: PMC1674489  PMID: 51663

Abstract

A cell wall deficient form of an alpha-haemolytic streptococcus was grown from a prolonged monolayer cell culture of a lymph node taken from a patient with Whipple's disease. Serological cross reactivity was shown between the organism and the material within Whipple's disease macrophages positive for diastase-resistant periodic acid-Schiff (D./P.A.S.). In vitro studies characterized the organism as a facultative intracellular parasite which caused the accumulation within cells of D./P.A.S.-positive material. These results suggest that a pathogenic bacterium is the essential aetiological agent and that the culture of Whipple's disease tissues in hypertonic media may have practical value.

Full text

PDF
570

Images in this article

569FIG. 1
on p.569
570FIG 2
on p.570

Selected References

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

  1. CARAVATI C. M., LITCH M., WEISIGER B. B., RAGLAND S., BERLINER H. Diagnosis of Whipple's disease by rectal biopsy with a report of three additional cases. Ann Intern Med. 1963 Jan;58:166–170. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-58-1-166. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Charache P., Bayless T. M., Shelley W. M., Hendrix T. R. Atypical bacteria in Whipple's disease. Trans Assoc Am Physicians. 1966;79:399–408. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Groll A., Valberg L. S., Simon J. B., Eidinger D., Wilson B., Forsdyke D. R. Immunological defect in Whipple's disease. Gastroenterology. 1972 Dec;63(6):943–950. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. KENT T. H., LAYTON J. M., CLIFTON J. A., SCHEDL H. P. WHIPPLE'S DISEASE: LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDIES COMBINED WITH CLINICAL STUDIES SUGGESTING AN INFECTIVE NATURE. Lab Invest. 1963 Dec;12:1163–1178. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kjaerheim A., Midtvedt T., Skrede S., Gjone E. Bacteria in Whipple's disease. Isolation of a Haemophilus strain from the jejunal propria. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1966;66(1):135–142. doi: 10.1111/apm.1966.66.1.135. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Knox D. I., Bayless T. M., Yardley J. H., Charache P. Whipple's disease presenting with ocular inflammation and minimal intestinal symptoms. Johns Hopkins Med J. 1968 Oct;123(4):175–182. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Maizel H., Ruffin J. M., Dobbins W. O., 3rd Whipple's disease: a review of 19 patients from one hospital and a review of the literature since 1950. Medicine (Baltimore) 1970 May;49(3):175–205. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Martin F. F., Vilseck J., Dobbins W. O., 3rd, Buckley C. E., 3rd, Tyor M. P. Immunological alterations in patients with treated Whipple's disease. Gastroenterology. 1972 Jul;63(1):6–18. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Rubin C. E., Dobbins W. O., 3rd Peroral biopsy of the small intestine. A review of its diagnostic usefulness. Gastroenterology. 1965 Dec;49(6):676–697. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. SHERRIS J. C., ROBERTS C. E., PORUS R. L. MICROBIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF INTESTINAL BIOPSIES TAKEN DURING ACTIVE WHIPPLE'S DISEASE. Gastroenterology. 1965 Jun;48:708–710. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES