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Volume 15, Number 5—May 2009
Letter

Postoperative Panophthalmitis Caused by Whipple Disease

Michel Drancourt, Florence Fenollar, Danièle Denis, and Didier RaoultComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France; Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille

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Table

Characteristics of 19 patients with Whipple disease uveitis documented by presence of Tropheryma whipplei in a diseased eye*

Patient. no. Age, y/sex Class Location Postoperative uveitis Use of local or systemic steroids Microscopy, PAS stain EM PCR Reference
1 52/M I B – No + + ND (3)
2 60/M A B – No + + ND (5)
3 56/M A B + Yes + ND ND (4)
4 47/M A B – Yes + ND ND (4)
5 65/M A B + Yes + + + (6)
6 59/F A B + Yes + + + (7)†
7 53/F Pa U – Yes + ND + (7)†
8 65/M I U + Yes + ND + (7)†
9 NR/NR NR NR NR NR ND ND + (8)
10 65/M I U + Yes ND ND +‡ (7)
11 81/M P U + Yes ND ND +‡ (7)
12 35/M P U NR NR ND ND +‡ (7)
13 46/M P U – No ND ND +‡ (7)
14 3/F A U – No ND ND +‡ (7)
15 90/F A U + Yes ND ND +‡ (7)
16 69/M P U + Yes ND ND +‡ (7)
17 20/F A U + Yes ND ND +‡ (7)
18 74/F Pa U + Yes ND ND +‡ (7)
19 78/F P U + Yes ND ND +‡ (7)

*PAS, periodic acid–Schiff; EM, electron microscopy; I, intermediate; B, bilateral; ND, not done; A, anterior; Pa, panuveitis; U, unilateral; NR, not reported; P, posterior.
†Reviewed by Drancourt et al. (7).
‡These patients were considered to have suspected cases.

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References
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