Neurological presentation of Whipple's disease after long-term antibiotic treatment: a case report

INTRODUCTION Whipple's disease is a rare systemic infectious disorder caused by Tropheryma whipplei. CASE PRESENTATION We report a 68-year-old male with Whipple's disease of the central nervous system following long-term antibiotic therapy and many years after the initial clinical onset. CONCLUSION The combination of trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole does not prevent or cure involvement of the central nervous system in all patients with Whipple's disease. If relapse of the central nervous system occurs treatment with meropenem might be a useful alternative.