Whipple disease of the central nervous system: an unusual occurrence in association with acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Bharat Guthikonda; Emilie Rouah; Bhuvanaswari Krishnan; Suzanne Z Powell; J Clay Goodman; Shankar P Gopinath; Richard K Simpson

doi:10.3171/2009.6.JNS0935

Whipple disease of the central nervous system: an unusual occurrence in association with acquired immune deficiency syndrome

J Neurosurg. 2010 May;112(5):983-9. doi: 10.3171/2009.6.JNS0935.

Authors

Bharat Guthikonda¹, Emilie Rouah, Bhuvanaswari Krishnan, Suzanne Z Powell, J Clay Goodman, Shankar P Gopinath, Richard K Simpson

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, LSU Health Science Center-Shreveport, Louisiana 71130-3932, USA. bguthi@lsuhsc.edu

PMID: 19612977
DOI: 10.3171/2009.6.JNS0935

Abstract

Whipple disease is a multisystem infectious disease caused by Tropheryma whippleii. It commonly affects the CNS and produces neurological symptoms in 10-20% of cases. Central nervous system Whipple disease occurring in patients with AIDS is extremely rare. The authors present a case of a newly diagnosed AIDS patient in whom intracranial Whipple disease was diagnosed by stereotactic brain biopsy.

Publication types

Case Reports
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / complications*
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / immunology
Adult
Blotting, Western
CD4 Antigens / immunology
Central Nervous System Infections / microbiology
Central Nervous System Infections / pathology*
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Whipple Disease / complications*
Whipple Disease / microbiology
Whipple Disease / pathology*

Substances

CD4 Antigens