For the first time, French researchers have isolated and grown a bacterial strain that causes Whipple's disease, a intestinal disorder that prevents the body from absorbing nutrients from food.
This success opens the door for diagnosing Whipple's disease with a simple blood test, rather than with the current method of removing a sample of intestinal tissue, according to the researchers. Although Whipple's disease was first identified in 1907 and linked to bacterial infection about 40 years ago, researchers have been unable to grow the bacterium in the lab -- a crucial, basic step in studying an infectious disease.
Whipple's disease usually strikes the small intestine, causing irregular breakdown of fats and carbohydrates and an inability to absorb nutrients. Patients -- mostly middle-aged men -- suffer symptoms such as weight loss, cramps, diarrhea, and arthritis. Antibiotics and nutritional supplements often quell the symptoms, but many patients relapse and need lifelong treatment.
To isolate the Whipple's bacterium, the investigators removed a tissue sample from a patient with inflammation in the heart and heart valves, one of the less-common complications of Whipple's disease. Using the heart tissue sample, the investigators were able to get the bacteria to grow in cultured cells.
Further tests showed that 7 out of 9 Whipple's patients had antibodies in their blood that recognized the bacteria, compared with 3 out of 40 people without the disease. In another test, all the Whipple's patients had another type of antibody that recognized the bacteria, but 73% of healthy people also had such antibodies. The findings suggest that Whipple's bacterial infection is common, but rarely causes illness. The French researchers' blood test, however, is not ready for use in diagnosing Whipple's, Swartz notes. A more specific test is needed to diagnose the disease.
The New England Journal of Medicine March 2, 2000;342:620-625, 648-650
If anyone has done any gardening they are familiar with altering the conditions of the soil to optimize plant growth. Our intestines our quite similar to garden soil. And if the terrain in the intestines is not optimized (as is the case with the typical American diet), the stage is set for the growth of bacteria that will promote disease. One can use powerful detox programs consisting of herbs and minerals, but I find that the most effective and less expensive approach involves using the diet recommendations to adjust the internal terrain to support the growth of the beneficial bacteria and suppress the growth of the harmful ones.
I found it amazing that so many people were infected with these harmful bacteria all along and investigators are just now beginning to document it. This study further confirms my impression that the bacterial cultures we grow in our intestine as a result of our food choices has a huge impact on the state of our health.