Brachyspira pilosicoli is an etiological agent of human intestinal spirochetosis. Bloodstream infection due to this microorganism is rare. We report a case of B. pilosicoli bacteremia in a 70-year-old patient who presented with multiorgan failure.

The presence of spirochetes in the human bowel has been recognized for over a century. Harland in 1967 described spirochetes on electron microscopy of rectal biopsies in a man with chronic diarrhea, and coined the term intestinal spirochetosis (IS) [1]. We report two cases of IS followed by review of literature. A 23-year-old male homosexual presented with diarrhea for 9 months but no blood. Th...

Objectives. The utility of examining specimens from colorectal biopsies of polyps for nonneoplastic diseases is currently unknown. Our objectives were to characterize such additional diagnoses that could be rendered. Methods. We retrospectively and prospectively reviewed specimens from endoscopic biopsies of colorectal polyps obtained during routine screening or surveillance. Results. 17 of 168...

Diagnosis: Intestinal spirochetosis. Results of histopathologic studies were pathognomonic for intestinal spirochetosis, a disorder that was first described in 1967 [1]. There are no distinct symptoms associated with intestinal spirochetosis other than diarrhea. The rate of colonization in humans is variable, but men who have sex with men and HIV-infected individuals appear to be at higher risk...

Acute appendicitis is a frequent pathology encountered by general surgeons. On the differential of aetiologies that can lead to this diagnosis lies the spectrum of infectious disease. We present a case report of a patient who presented to our institution as a classic acute appendicitis. Upon histological analysis it became evident that he had spirochetosis of the cecum and appendix. This paper ...

PCR procedures amplifying portions of the 16S rRNA and NADH oxidase genes of Brachyspira aalborgi and Serpulina pilosicoli were applied to DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded human colonic or rectal tissues from 30 Norwegian, Australian, and U.S. patients, 16 of whom had histologic evidence of intestinal spirochetosis (IS). B. aalborgi-specific sequences were identified by PCR in 10 of the IS ...