First isolation of Tropheryma whipplei from bronchoalveolar fluid and clinical implications

Fenollar, Florence; Ponge, Thierry; La Scola, Bernard; Lagier, Jean-Christophe; Lefebvre, Maëva; Raoult, Didier

doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2011.11.026

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First isolation of Tropheryma whipplei from bronchoalveolar fluid and clinical implications

Florence Fenollar
- URMITE, CNRS UMR 6236 IRD 198, IFR 48, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 05, France
Thierry Ponge
- Service de Médecine Interne, CHU Nantes, France
Bernard La Scola
- URMITE, CNRS UMR 6236 IRD 198, IFR 48, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 05, France
Jean-Christophe Lagier
- URMITE, CNRS UMR 6236 IRD 198, IFR 48, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 05, France
Maëva Lefebvre
- Service de Médecine Interne, CHU Nantes, France
Didier Raoult
- URMITE, CNRS UMR 6236 IRD 198, IFR 48, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 05, France
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 4 91 32 43 75; fax: +33 4 91 38 77 72.

Accepted 29 November 2011. published online 06 December 2011.
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Summary

A patient presented diffuse pulmonary parenchymal micronodules. Tropheryma whipplei was detected in the saliva, a bronchial biopsy and bronchoalveolar fluid. PAS staining, immunohistochemistry and PCR for T. whipplei were negative in the duodenal biopsies. T. whipplei was isolated from the bronchoalveolar fluid, reinforcing its role as a respiratory pathogen.

Keywords: Whipple’s disease, Tropheryma whipplei, Bronchoalveolar fluid, Pneumonia