Spirochetes--the possible etiological factor of the cheilitis granulomatosa.
OBJECTIVE
To detect spirochetes in sections and to study the therapeutic effect of penicillin in cheilitis granulomatosa (CG) and Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) and the relationship between the spirochetes infection and CG and MRS.


METHODS
Routine HE sections and Warthin-Starry special staining were carried out in 20 cases of CG and 6 cases of MRS. Meanwhile there were 9 cases of CG and 2 caes of MRS were treated by penicillin (12 000 000u, i.v., per day) for two courses (14 days).


RESULTS
A kind of spirochete was discovered in the sections of all cases of the CG and MRS. The CG and MRS could be divided into two types histopathologically, that is granuloma type and interstitial inflammatory type (non-granuloma type), those morphological changes tallied with spirochetosis. After treatment by penicillin, the facial and labial swelling of the 11 cases of CG and MRS were abated.


CONCLUSIONS
CG and MRS probably are infectious diseases caused by spirochetes.
Liu
H
H
Department of Pathology, Tongren Hospital of Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730.
Zheng
L
L
Liu
H
H
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008556:Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013144:Spirochaetales / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013145:Spirochaetales Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins; D013752:Tetracycline