Clinical relapse in Whipple's disease despite maintenance therapy

Whipple's disease is a multisystem disorder that was first reported just over 100 years ago. Only recently, the bacillus responsible for the condition was identified and subsequently cultured. However, differences of opinion remain regarding the best antibiotic regimen and duration of therapy at primary diagnosis and there is also great uncertainty about the management of disease relapse. We report a case of clinical relapse of Whipple's disease in a man who was on a prolonged therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. We describe his management and review the literature on the treatment of this condition, with particular reference to the recurrence of the disease. (C) 2000 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.