Nearly Fatal Case of Whipple's Disease in a Patient Mistakenly on Anti-TNF Therapy

Is Autologous Fecal Microbiota Transfer after Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Patients Rational and Feasible? Data from a Feasibility Test

Background: Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is a highly effective therapy for remission induction in pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD), but relapse rates after return to a regular diet are high. Autologous fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) using stool collected during EEN-induced clinical remission might represent a novel approach to maintaining the benefits of EEN. Methods: Pediatric CD patients provided fecal material at home, which was shipped at 4 °C to an FMT laboratory for FMT capsule generation and extensive pathogen safety screening. The microbial community composition of samples taken before and after shipment and after encapsulation was characterized using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Results: Seven pediatric patients provided fecal material for nine test runs after at least three weeks of nutritional therapy. FMT capsules were successfully generated in 6/8 deliveries, but stool weight and consistency varied widely. Transport and processing of fecal material into FMT capsules did not fundamentally change microbial composition, but microbial richness was <30 genera in 3/9 samples. Stool safety screening was positive for potential pathogens or drug resistance genes in 8/9 test runs. Conclusions: A high pathogen burden, low-diversity microbiota, and practical deficiencies of EEN-conditioned fecal material might render autologous capsule-FMT an unsuitable approach as maintenance therapy for pediatric CD patients.

Benign Pneumatosis Intestinalis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Pneumatosis intestinalis is the presence of gas within the walls of the intestine on imaging and has variable clinical significance, ranging from an incidental finding to a harbinger of intra-abdominal catastrophe. There are multiple mechanisms by which this radiographic finding develops, including bacterial gas production, increased intraluminal pressure within the gastrointestinal tract, mechanical disruption of the gut mucosa, and tracking of pulmonary gas along the mesenteric vasculature.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present the case of a 61-year-old male veteran who had sustained a remote anoxic brain injury resulting in chronic dependence on a gastrostomy tube for enteral nutrition, found incidentally to have pneumatosis intestinalis without signs of intra-abdominal catastrophe.

CONCLUSIONS

Appropriate interpretation of this finding can lead to life-saving interventions and avoid unnecessary surgical procedures.

A rare presentation of hypovolemic shock secondary to Whipple's disease

Whipple's disease is a rare, multisystem infection caused by the Gram-positive Tropheryma whippelii organism. In addition to neurological and rheumatological manifestations, this disease can result in significant gastrointestinal symptoms such as malabsorption, diarrhea, and weight loss. Given the diagnostic challenge and rare occurrence, a high index of suspicion is critical to prevent morbidity and mortality from this otherwise highly infectious disease transmitted via the fecal-oral route. We present a very rare but near-fatal case of hypovolemic shock secondary to protein-losing enteropathy and gastrointestinal bleeding from small bowel T. whippelii infection. Furthermore, the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of Whipple's disease is reviewed.