Intestinal Spirochetosis mimicking inflammatory bowel disease in children

This article reports the findings of one pediatric case, review of the current literature, and an overview of therapeutic options.A high degree of suspicion is required in cases presenting with abdominal pain, chronic diarrhoea and/or hematochezia associated with a normal endoscopic examination, thus emphasizing the importance of multiple biopsies throughout the colon.Spirochetes are well-known pathogens in veterinary medicine. They are associated with diarrheal illness, malnutrition and failure to thrive in a wide range of animals (swine, poultry, dogs, cats, opossum, non-human primates and guinea pigs) causing important economic losses [1].The presence of intestinal spirochetes in human faeces has been recognized in the late 1800’s [2]. The term intestinal spirochetosis was coined in 1967 by Harland and Lee who recognized spirochetes adherent to the cellular membrane of apical cells in the colonic epithelium [3]. This histological appearance is considered to be the hallmark of this infection.The clinical significance of intestinal spirochetes in humans remains highly debated. Indeed, it is still unclear whether the finding of microorganisms coating the intestinal mucosal membrane is simply the reflection of a colonization process or the histological aspect of a disease [4].A 13 year-old boy presented to our paediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic with a one month history of blood-stained diarrhoea, associated with urgency, weight loss of 1.5kg and asthenia. He had no complaint of abdominal pain, fever or anorexia. The onset of symptoms coincided with the end of a 4-day history of acute gastroenteritis.His past medical history revealed a recurrent aphthous stomatitis, and his family history was positive for celiac disease (one maternal cousin), irritable bowel syndrome (one paternal uncle) and bowel cancer (paternal grandfather). His growth parameters were normal and the physical examination revealed palpable stool masses in the left lower abdomen. Based on t