SUMMARYHelicobacter pylori-infected cats were screened by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of H. pylori in salivary secretions, gastric juice, gastric tissue and faeces. H. pylori was cultured from salivary secretions in six of 12 (50%) cats and from gastric fluid samples in 11 of 12 (91%) cats. A 298 base pair polymerase chain reactions (PCR) product specific for an H. pylori 26 000 MW surface protein was amplified from dental plaque samples from five of 12 (42%) cats and from the faeces of four of five (80%)
Helicobacter pylori causes gastritis and peptic ulcers and is linked to gastric cancer. Domestic cats from a commercial source were found to be naturally infected with H. pylori, and studies were undertaken to eradicate H. pylori from infected cats by using triple antimicrobial therapy. Eight cats infected with H. pylori were used in the study. Six cats received a 21-day course of oral amoxicillin, metronidazole, and omeprazole, and two cats served as controls. Two weeks and 4 weeks posttreatment (p.t.), all six treated cats were negative at several sites (saliva, gastric juice, and gastric mucosa) for H. pylori by culture. However, as determined by PCR with primers specific for the 26-kDa product, the majority of cats at 2 and 4 weeks p.t. had gastric fluid samples which were positive for H. pylori and three of three cats at 2 weeks p.t. had dental plaque which was positive for H. pylori. At 6 weeks p.t., all six cats had H. pylori-negative cultures for samples from several gastric sites taken at necropsy, and only one cat had H. pylori cultured from gastric juice. PCR analysis revealed that five of six cats had H. pylori DNA amplification products from plaque, saliva, and/or gastric fluid samples. Negative bacterial cultures for cats for which there was demonstrable PCR amplification of H. pylori DNA may reflect the inability of in vitro culture techniques to isolate small numbers of H. pylori organisms, focal colonization at sites not cultured, or a failure of the antibiotics to successfully eradicate H. pylori from extragastric sites which allowed subsequent recolonization of the stomach after cessation of therapy. Alternatively, the treatment strategy may have induced in vivo viable but nonculturable coccoid forms of H. pylori. The H. pylori cat model should allow further studies to test these hypotheses as well as the efficacies of other combined therapeutic regimens. Also, because 100% of these cats were naturally infected with H.pylori, this model should prove useful in exploring mechanisms whereby human populations in underdeveloped countries, which have H. pylori infection rates approaching 100%, have a high rate of recurrence of H. pylori infection after use of prescribed antibiotic therapies that successfully eradicate H. pylori in individuals in developed countries.
Human cagA+ H. pylori readily colonized the cat stomach and produced a persistent gastritis. The findings demonstrate the utility of the cat to study H. pylori induced pathogenesis.
The words "red tide" routinely generate red alerts among Florida's fishermen, coastal property owners, tourism operators, and health officials. This past summer and fall were no exception. These toxic algal blooms-which often tinge the water red but sometimes turn it brown, orange, or even slightly greenishclose beaches, kill innumerable fish, and taint filterfeeding shellfish such as oysters, rendering them inedible. The neurotoxins generated by the phytoplankton that create red tides also affect birds, marine mammals, and sea turtles and can harm human health. Breaking surf lofts toxin-filled droplets of sea spray that can irritate lungs and severely aggravate lung conditions, such as emphysema or asthma. Adding to their devastation, red tides can seem random. Some years, as in 2017 and 2018, they persist for months; in others, they may hardly make a showing or bloom and then fade only to return with a vengeance. Scientists now have a decent sense of when and where red tides will appear, but new data-gathering efforts could help monitor the blooms as they develop, providing more accurate red tide forecasts for coastal areas. And researchers are starting to devise and test ways to mitigate or control Florida's red tides to improve the quality of life in the state's coastal communities. But the age-old phenomenon of red tides continues to present scientists and policymakers with complex research and management challenges. Born At Sea Although the most distressing effects of red tides manifest themselves in coastal waters, these harmful algal blooms are often born far out at sea. And like Toxic algal blooms known as red tide, which often tinge the water red but sometimes turn it brown, orange, or even slightly greenish, close beaches, kill fish, and taint shellfish. The bloom pictured took place in September of 2016 in the Gulf of Mexico in the coastal waters of southwestern Florida. Image credit: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.
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