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In attempting to diagnose my baby's GI problems I recently did some research
on Tropical Sprue, trying to figure out if it was the same as Celiac Sprue or
different.  Tropical Sprue is a condition suffered only by people who have
traveled to or lived in certain tropical parts of the world (Southeast Asia,
the Caribbean, parts of Latin America).  It is not seen in Africa.  My son
was born in Calcutta and adopted by us last April at 6 months of age -- hence
our interest in Tropical Sprue.  Supposedly, TS is characterized by severe
diarrhea and weight loss and responds well to tetracycline and folic acid.
 It also can resolve on its own.  I don't know whether it would respond to a
GF diet but I suspect it would, since the same intestinal mucosa are
affected.  The key difference seems to be that TS probably has an infectious
cause (although none has been clearly identified) and is usually not a
lifelong problem, while Celiac Sprue is something that a person is more or
less born with.  I don't know if this helps to clarify matters for posters
who were diagnosed after visiting the tropics, but it's worth pursuing
further since it would be much better to have TS than CS.

Chris in NJ