[Whipple's disease: a case report and review of the literature]

Whipple's disease is a systemic infectious condition caused by a gram-positive bacteria belonging to the family of actinomycetes called Tropherima whipplei. It presents most often in males and 13% of patients present with severe diarrhea, fever, adenopathy, weight loss and pigmentation of the skin. Diagnosis is made through duodenal biopsy by which shows foamy macrophages PAS positive. In cases where the histology is negative, we can make the identification of the infectious agent by polymerase-chain reaction (PCR). We describe a 47 years old woman with Whipple's disease whose diagnosis was made through the duodenum and colon biopsies showing infiltration by PAS-positive macrophages.