Whipple disease

First reported by Whipple in 1907. In 1949, Black-Schaffer used PAS staining and found PAS-positive material in macrophages within the small intestinal mucosa of patients. In 1960, Cohen and others, through electron microscopy studies, concluded that the sickle-shaped particles in macrophages were composed of bacteria. The pathogen is rod-shaped, with a width of 0.2 μm and a length of 1.5 to 2.5 μm, and is termed Whipple bacillus. The pathogen enters through the oral route and can invade all organs of the body. After long-term antibiotic treatment, patients may recover completely, and the bacillus gradually disappears. It is currently believed that this disease is associated with infection by Whipple bacillus, although it has not yet been definitively identified, nor has an animal model been established.