Tropheryma whipplei in children with gastroenteritis

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Didier Raoult1, Florence Fenollar, Jean Marc Rolain

  • 1Universite de la Mediterranee, Marseille, France. didier.raoult@gmail.com

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|April 23, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Tropheryma whipplei bacteria may cause gastroenteritis in children. This study found T. whipplei in 15% of children with diarrhea, suggesting it causes or worsens symptoms.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Tropheryma whipplei is the causative agent of Whipple disease.
  • This bacterium is detected in human feces and may be linked to gastroenteritis.
  • The role of T. whipplei in pediatric gastroenteritis requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of Tropheryma whipplei in children with gastroenteritis.
  • To investigate the association between T. whipplei and diarrheal illness in pediatric populations.
  • To compare bacterial loads in infected children with those in Whipple disease patients and asymptomatic carriers.

Main Methods:

  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect T. whipplei DNA in fecal samples from children aged 2-4 years.
  • Western blotting was performed on samples from children with diarrhea.
  • Fecal samples from healthy children served as controls.

Main Results:

  • Tropheryma whipplei was identified in 36 (15%) of 241 children with gastroenteritis.
  • In 13 (33%) of these cases, T. whipplei was co-detected with other diarrheal pathogens.
  • No T. whipplei was found in 47 control children (p = 0.008).
  • Bacterial loads in affected children were comparable to Whipple disease patients and higher than in asymptomatic carriers (p = 0.002).

Conclusions:

  • The high incidence and bacterial loads suggest T. whipplei causes or exacerbates gastroenteritis in some children.
  • T. whipplei may be co-transmitted with other intestinal pathogens.
  • Further research is warranted to understand the clinical significance and transmission dynamics of T. whipplei in pediatric gastroenteritis.

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