Whipple's Disease is an infectious illness associated with a wide variety of intestinal (100%) and extra-intestinal manifestations, including arthropathy (85%), weight loss (95%), lymphadenopathy (50%), fever (50%), and hyperpigmentation (45%). It is rare.
Diagnosis can be difficult. Clinical suspicion is usually confirmed by periodic-acid-Schiff staining of inclusions in the macrophages. Culture of the causative organism, T.whippelii, is difficult and insensitive.
PCR of the organism's DNA from tissue is significantly more sensitive than histopathology. PCR can be used to confirm the diagnosis when suggested by the histopathology or as a further test when the diagnosis is clinically suspected but the histopathology is inconclusive.
Microbiology - Virology
WHIP
Referred to LabPlus Auckland for testing
T. whipplei
Tropheryma whipplei
5 days