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[Whipple's disease: a curable encephalitis]

C Wintenberger1, A Bosseray, B Colombe

  • 1Clinique de médecine interne, CHU, BP 217, 38043 Grenoble cedex 09, France. CWintenberger@chu-grenoble.fr

La Revue De Medecine Interne
|March 23, 2011
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Whipple's disease, a rare infectious disorder, can cause encephalitis. Diagnosis requires histology and PCR on multiple samples, leading to successful treatment with antibiotics.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Whipple's disease is a rare systemic bacterial infection.
  • Clinical presentation is diverse, making diagnosis difficult.
  • Neurological involvement, such as encephalitis, is uncommon but possible.

Observation:

  • A 45-year-old male presented with acute encephalitis.
  • Initial cerebrospinal fluid PCR for Whipple's disease was negative.
  • Diagnosis was confirmed via histopathology, PCR, and immunohistochemistry on multiple tissue samples.

Findings:

  • Whipple's disease can manifest as encephalitis, even with negative CSF PCR.
  • Histopathology and PCR on various samples are crucial for diagnosis.
  • Prompt antibiotic therapy led to a significant clinical improvement.

Implications:

  • Highlights the importance of considering Whipple's disease in encephalitis cases.
  • Emphasizes the utility of multi-sample testing for diagnosis.
  • Demonstrates the effectiveness of appropriate antibiotic treatment for neurological Whipple's disease.

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