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. 1982;27(11):1039–1043. doi: 10.1007/BF01391753

Chronic enterocyte infection with coronavirus

One possible cause of the syndrome of tropical sprue?

S J Baker 1,✉, M Mathan 1, V I Mathan 1, S Jesudoss 1, S P Swaminathan 1
PMCID: PMC7087995  PMID: 6291885

Summary

A man with a gastrojejunostomy and intestinal malabsorption was found to be excreting large numbers of coronavirus-like particles in his stools over a period of at least eight months. Coronavirus-like particles were found in vesicles in degenerating jejunal enterocytes in all of five jejunal biopsies. In a review of electron micrographs, similar structures were found in biopsies from three of 12 patients with classical chronic tropical sprue and in one patient with a sprue-like syndrome associated with agammaglobulinaemia. The hypothesis is advanced that infection with this virus may produce enterocyte damage and may be one cause of the syndrome of tropical sprue.

Keywords: Public Health, Electron Micrographs, Tropical Sprue, Intestinal Malabsorption, Jejunal Biopsy

Footnotes

Supported by the Wellcome Trust and the World Health Organization

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