here is no known natural reservoir or animal host for T. whipplei other than man. Disease in neighbors (54) and in a father-son and father-daughter pair have been described (20, 72). Today, there is evidence of person-to-person transmission of the agent (24, 46). However, the contact or even temporary infection with T. whipplei only leads to Whipple`s disease very rarely. T. whipplei has been detected in waste water from sewage treatment plants and its workers in Germany, France and Austria (25, 57, 88); but replication of the organism in this environment has not been demonstrated