The incidence of tropheryma whipplei in the population of the Brazos Valley region of Texas

Abstract

An epidemiological study of the bacteria Tropheryma whipplei was conducted in the Brazos Valley region of Texas; specifically in the cities of College Station and Bryan. DNA samples from the oral cavities of study participants was extracted and analyzed for the presence of T. whipplei. Previously published studies have reported identifying this bacterium in the saliva of healthy individuals with no signs or symptoms of Whipple’s disease. These investigations were conducted in Europe and Asia, including London, England and Switzerland, but data of this nature had yet to be obtained within Texas. After analyzing 147 samples obtained from 49 individuals, no indication of T. whipplei existing in the oral cavity of Bryan or College Station residents was found. During testing a study was published in May of 2007 indicating that previous investigations of this nature had in fact identified different bacteria resulting in false positives.