Question:medium
Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive macrophages are seen in:
Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive macrophages are seen in:
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Foamy PAS-positive macrophages full of T. whipplei.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Whipple's disease
- Crohn's disease
- AIDS
- None of the above
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The hallmark histology here is foamy macrophages stuffed with PAS-positive, diastase-resistant material in the intestinal mucosa.
Step 2: This appearance is the textbook finding of Whipple's disease, caused by Tropheryma whipplei, which fills the macrophages with bacterial glycoprotein.
Step 3: Although disseminated Mycobacterium avium in AIDS can also load macrophages with PAS-positive bacilli, those organisms are acid-fast, whereas Whipple's bacilli are not, so acid-fast staining separates the two.
Step 4: Crohn's disease shows non-caseating granulomas, not PAS-positive macrophages. Therefore the classic answer is Whipple's disease.
\[\boxed{\text{Whipple's disease}}\]
Step 2: This appearance is the textbook finding of Whipple's disease, caused by Tropheryma whipplei, which fills the macrophages with bacterial glycoprotein.
Step 3: Although disseminated Mycobacterium avium in AIDS can also load macrophages with PAS-positive bacilli, those organisms are acid-fast, whereas Whipple's bacilli are not, so acid-fast staining separates the two.
Step 4: Crohn's disease shows non-caseating granulomas, not PAS-positive macrophages. Therefore the classic answer is Whipple's disease.
\[\boxed{\text{Whipple's disease}}\]
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