[Observation in two cases of Whipple disease]

The authors survey the literature of Whipple's disease and present two of their patients. They assure that Whipple's disease in either associated with or is a result of an immunopathological clinical picture, but it is else possible that assumed pathogen, the Tropheryma whippleii itself alters the immune system. In the case of their female patient with active disease they showed the rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene [t(14; 18)] in her peripheral blood lymphocytes, while in their male patient in remission this could not be proved. During the observation, in their female patient insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) developed. In connection with these cases, the authors draw the attention to the varied symptoms which are characteristic of autoimmune disease, and to the immunoserological laboratory differences in particular the rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene.