Intracellular bacteria in Hodgkin's disease and sclerosing mediastinal B-cell lymphoma: sign of a bacterial etiology?
BACKGROUND
The aetiology of Hodgkin's disease is still unknown more than 160 years after its original description. In recent years a viral aetiology was the preferred hypothesis. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and histological findings, however, point rather to a bacterial aetiology.


METHODS
In the histological work-up of tissues from patients suffering from malignant lymphoma periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stains are routinely done. In several bacterial infections intracellular PAS-positive material can be observed. We examined PAS-stained slides at magnifications of 1000x of six Hodgkin and twelve Non-Hodgkin patients.


RESULTS
We found PAS-positive diastase resistant intracellular rods and spheres in all Hodgkin patients and in all of the six patients suffering from sclerosing mediastinal B-cell lymphomas, but not the other Non-Hodgkin lymphomas.


CONCLUSIONS
The diastase resistant PAS-positive structures are compatible with intracellular bacteria. After gastric MALT-lymphoma and gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma it appears that Hodgkin's disease and sclerosing mediastinal B-cell lymphomas may also be human tumors related bacteria.
D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D010503:Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction; D012598:Sclerosis