Tropheryma whipplei and Gastroenteritis in Children

Tropheryma whipplei was found in 15% of young children with gastroenteritis, one third of whom were coinfected with other diarrhea pathogens.

Tropheryma whipplei, the cause of Whipple disease, is found in human feces and may also cause gastroenteritis in individuals without Whipple disease. To explore this possibility, researchers in France used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to test stool samples from children with gastroenteritis for T. whipplei DNA. Samples were also tested for other enteric pathogens.

Of 241 samples from children aged 2 to 4 years, 36 (15%) tested positive for T. whipplei; 23 (64%) had high bacterial loads (>10,000/g of stool). Among the 11 stool samples obtained from 10 T. whipplei–positive children during the subsequent 30 days, only 1 — procured on day 15 — was positive. Among children whose serum samples were analyzed by Western blot, those with T.…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Tropheryma whipplei and Gastroenteritis in Children

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Reviewing Author