Document Detail


Invasive intestinal spirochetosis: a report of three cases.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  8912364     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
We here report on three patients with gastrointestinal symptoms in whom spirochetes were found in colonic biopsies. The patients, heterosexual adults, were not immunocompromised. Electron microscopy was performed on colonic biopsies from each of the three patients. Apart from the basophilic band consisting of spirochetes, the mucosa was normal in two patients on light microscopy and showed mild inflammation in the other one. However on electron microscopy there was invasion of the colonic epithelial cells, macrophages, goblet cells and Schwann cells by spirochetes, and stunting of the microvilli. The spirochetes conformed to the morphology of Brachyspira aalborgi, and no other infective etiology or pathology could be identified in these patients to account for their symptoms. Since the clinical significance of intestinal spirochetosis is uncertain, antibiotics were not administered to any of the three patients and all three improved symptomatically with non-specific treatment. Intestinal spirochetosis, previously thought to be non-invasive and non-pathogenic in humans, may be invasive and may be the cause of gastrointestinal symptoms in some patients.
Authors:
V Padmanabhan; J Dahlstrom; L Maxwell; G Kaye; A Clarke; P J Barratt
Related Documents :
7851454 - Colonic transit time in nonidiopathic parkinson's syndrome.
11885874 - Adult intussusception: the jos experience.
8797654 - Local ischemia causes carcinoma-like changes of the rectum.
3987474 - Anismus in chronic constipation.
3916164 - Demonstration of nodules in the normal thyroid by echography.
21167774 - The diagnostic and prognostic significance of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator r...
Publication Detail:
Type:  Case Reports; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Pathology     Volume:  28     ISSN:  0031-3025     ISO Abbreviation:  Pathology     Publication Date:  1996 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1997-01-07     Completed Date:  1997-01-07     Revised Date:  2006-10-31    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0175411     Medline TA:  Pathology     Country:  ENGLAND    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  283-6     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomical Pathology, Woden Valley Hospital, Garran, ACT.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Biopsy
Colonic Diseases / microbiology*,  pathology
Female
Humans
Male
Microscopy, Electron
Spirochaetales Infections / diagnosis*,  pathology

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Diagnosis of human sarcocystis infection from biopsies of the skeletal muscle.
Next Document:  Dose-rate effects in targeted radiotherapy.