Use

Whipple disease is a chronic, systemic illness that primarily affects adults of middle age, involving the small intestine and its lymphatic drainage. Clinical findings may include malabsorption, chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, arthralgia, fever, and central nervous system symptoms. Pathologic changes are distinctive, and diagnosis often depends on histologic examination of biopsy specimens. Molecular techniques using PCR and nucleotide sequencing have classified the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei, aiding in diagnosis, especially for inconclusive or suspicious cases using whole blood specimens.