title: Intestinal spirochetosis in children: report of two cases.
abstract: Two cases of intestinal spirochetosis in two children are reported. The first patient, a 7 1/2-year-old boy, presented with diarrhea and rectal bleeding. After the diagnosis was made by a rectal biopsy, he was given metronidazole and neomycin. Symptoms persisted despite a further rectal biopsy that showed clearance of the organisms. Appendiceal spirochetosis was an incidental finding in our second patient, an 8-year-old girl who presented with acute abdominal pain and in whom mesenteric adenitis was diagnosed clinically at laparotomy. The possible pathogenic mechanisms causing clinical symptoms are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Histopathology Laboratory, Auckland Children's Hospital, New Zealand.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D001065:Appendix / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D008199:Lymphadenitis / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D013144:Spirochaetales / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013145:Spirochaetales Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*