Human intestinal spirochaetosis in northern Japan.
A histological diagnosis of human intestinal spirochaetosis (HIS) was made in 114 patients during the period 1994-2007. All patients lived in three prefectures in the northern part of Honshu, Japan. Most patients were elderly and male. Twenty-nine patients complained of abdominal pain, bloody stools, diarrhoea or bowel symptoms, but most patients showed no direct symptoms of bowel disease, and occult faecal blood detected at medical check-up was the main reason for colonoscopic examination. There were no homosexual patients and no immunosuppressed patients. HIS was evenly distributed throughout the whole colorectum. PCR analysis of Brachyspira aalborgi and Brachyspira pilosicoli revealed that more patients were infected with B. aalborgi. Follow-up PCR studies confirmed that infestation with B. aalborgi could be repeatedly detected over a 6 year period. This study, involving over 100 patients, identified the characteristic features of HIS in northern Japan. The results suggest that these spirochaetes may be harmless commensals that cause no obvious pathological alterations in infected individuals.
Sato
Hajime
H
Department of Surgery, Iwate Prefectural Ninohe Hospital, Ninohe, Japan.
Nakamura
Shin-Ichi
SI
Diagnostic Pathology Research Co. Ltd, Morioka, Japan.
Habano
Wataru
W
Department of Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Genetics, School of Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
Wakabayashi
Go
G
Department of Surgery, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
Adachi
Yoshikazu
Y
Animal Health Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan.
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017400:Brachyspira / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult