A 30-year-old woman sees her physician because she has had diarrhea and fatigue and has noticed a 3-kg weight loss over the past 6 months. On physical examination, she is afebrile and has mild muscle wasting, but her motor strength is normal. Laboratory studies show no occult blood, ova, or parasites in the stool. A biopsy specimen from the upper jejunum is obtained, and microscopic findings are reviewed. The patient is placed on a special diet with no wheat or rye grain products. The change in diet produces dramatic improvement. Which of the following microscopic features is most likely to be seen in the biopsy specimen?

(A) Lymphatic obstruction

(B) Noncaseating granulomas

(C) Villous blunting and flattening

(D) Foamy macrophages within the lamina propria

(E) Crypt abscesses