IgA nephropathy and hypercalcemia in Whipple's disease

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome during treatment of Whipple's disease

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is a rare complication of the treatment of Whipple's disease. Here, we report the case of a 65-year-old man treated for Whipple's disease affecting the joints, with positive Tropheryma whipplei PCR in CSF, who developed fever and nodular eruption on the trunk, arms and face in association with biological inflammatory syndrome 10 days after initiation of antimicrobial treatment. Skin manifestations and the patient's general condition improved on corticosteroids (0.5mg/kg prednisone), but as steroids were gradually tapered, new nodules appeared below a prednisone dose of 10-15mg. One year after starting treatment, lumbar puncture showed asymptomatic meningitis with negative T. whipplei PCR results which had regressed spontaneously. Two years after the diagnosis, on prednisone 5mg daily and antimicrobial treatment, the patient had only transient, episodic nodular rash without fever or inflammatory syndrome.

Renal transplantation in AA amyloidosis associated with Whipple's disease

Whipple's disease (WD) is a chronic infection caused by Thropheryma whipplei that usually manifests with intestinal, articular, pulmonary, neurological and cardiac abnormalities. Rarely, WD has been associated with renal AA amyloidosis.We report a 50 year-old male with nephrotic syndrome and renal failure whose renal biopsy revealed extensive AA amyloidosis. Amyloid was not found in other organs, namely in gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow. There was no evidence of chronic inflammatory disease, and despite detailed investigation, the diagnosis of the underlying disease remained obscure. Eight months after referral he started peritoneal dialysis. Three years later he developed anorexia, weight loss, anemia, and recurrent attacks of non-bloody diarrhea. A biopsy of the small intestine showed typical histological findings of WD and PCR was positive for T. whipplei. He was treated with ceftriaxone followed by co-trimoxazole, with remission of complaints and histological features. Three years later the patient underwent successful cadaveric kidney transplantation. In this case, AA amyloidosis preceded the manifestations of WD. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of kidney transplantation in a patient with amyloidosis due to WD. Recurrence of amyloidosis in renal graft is not expected.

Gewichtsverlust, Niereninsuffizienz, Aortenvitium und Arthralgien

The 68-year-old male patient complained of weight loss and -- since 15 years -- of arthralgias and had renal insufficiency and an aortic stenosis. Despite the lack of intestinal symptoms, M. Whipple could be diagnosed, being responsible for his symptoms and clinical signs. Under antibiotic and supportive treatment the patient recovered uneventfully.Whipple's disease, otherwise known as intestinal lipodystrophy, is a disease with various signs and symptoms. The principal signs are rheumatic complaints and weight loss. By contrast, there may be absolutely no gastrointestinal symptoms even at an advanced stage of the disease. The generally chronic clinical course of the disease may worsen acutely and may prove fatal. Symptoms frequently occur not simultaneously but successively. Diagnostically, it is crucial to consider the possibility of infection with Tropheryma whippelii primarily if the patient presents with multi-organ symptoms. The disease is easy to diagnose by taking bioptic samples endoscopically -- even in the absence of intestinal symptoms -- and antibiotic treatment is generally successful. However, permanent organic lesions must be anticipated.

Whipple's disease and "Tropheryma whippelii"

Whipple's disease is a rare bacterial infection that may involve any organ system in the body. It occurs primarily in Caucasian males older than 40 years. The gastrointestinal tract is the most frequently involved organ, with manifestations such as abdominal pain, malabsorption syndrome with diarrhea, and weight loss. Other signs include low-grade fever, lymphadenopathy, skin hyperpigmentation, endocarditis, pleuritis, seronegative arthritis, uveitis, spondylodiscitis, and neurological manifestations, and these signs may occur in the absence of gastrointestinal manifestations. Due to the wide variability of manifestations, clinical diagnosis is very difficult and is often made only years or even decades after the initial symptoms have appeared. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for at least 1 year is usually considered adequate to eradicate the infection. The microbiological diagnosis of this insidious disease is rendered difficult by the virtual lack of culture and serodiagnostic methods. It is usually based on the demonstration of periodic acid-Schiff-positive particles in infected tissues and/or the presence of bacteria with an unusual trilaminar cell wall ultrastructure by electron microscopy. Recently, the Whipple bacteria have been characterized at the molecular level by amplification of their 16S rRNA gene(s). Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences revealed a new bacterial species related to the actinomycete branch which was named "Tropheryma whippelli." Based on its unique 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence, species-specific primers were selected for the detection of the organism in clinical specimens by PCR. This technique is currently used as one of the standard methods for establishing the diagnosis of Whipple's disease. Specific and broad-spectrum PCR amplifications mainly but not exclusively from extraintestinal specimens have significantly improved diagnosis, being more sensitive than histopathologic analysis. However, "T. whippelii" DNA has also been found in persons without clinical and histological evidence of Whipple's disease. It is unclear whether these patients are true asymptomatic carriers or whether differences in virulence exist among strains of "T. whippelii" that might account for the variable clinical manifestations. So far, six different "T. whippelii" subtypes have been found by analysis of their 16S-23S rDNA spacer region. Further studies of the pathogen "T. whippelii" as well as the host immune response are needed to fully understand this fascinating disease. The recent cultivation of the organisms is a promising major step in this direction.