Helicobacter pylori isolated from the domestic cat: public health implications

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori has been directly linked with active chronic gastritis, peptic ulceration, and gastric adenocarcinoma in humans. Although a substantial portion of the human population is colonized with H. pylori, the patterns of transmission of the organism remain in doubt, and reservoir hosts have not been identified. This study documents the isolation of H. pylori from domestic cats obtained from a commercial vendor. The isolation of H. pyloni from these cats was confirmed by morphologic and biochemical evaluations, fatty acid analysis, and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. H. pyloni was cultured from 6 cats and organisms compatible in appearance with H. pylori were observed in 15 additional cats by histologic examination. In most animals, H. pylori was present in close proximity to mucosal epithelial cells or in mucus layers of the glandular or surface epithelium. Microscopically, H. pyloni-infected cat stomachs contained a mild to severe diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate with small numbers of neutrophils and eosinophils in the subglandular and gastric mucosae. Lymphoid follicles were also noted, particularly in the antrum, and often displaced glandular mucosal tissue. Thus, the domestic cat may be a potential model for H. pyloni disease in humans. Also, the isolation of H. pyloni from domestic cats raises the possibility that the organism may be a zoonotic pathogen, with transmission occurring from cats to humans.

Local immune response in Helicobacter pylori‐infected cats and identification of H. pylori in saliva, gastric fluid and faeces

“…Seventeen young adult cats known to be infected with H. pylori but devoid of the large gastric spiral organisms commonly observed in cats, [8][9][10]22,23 were obtained from a commercial vendor. Saliva was collected by swabbing buccal mucosal surfaces with sterile cotton applicators.…”

“…[17][18][19][20][21] However, zoonotic transmission was not considered a significant risk factor in the epidemiology of H. pylori infection in humans since domestic animals had not been found to harbour H. pylori naturally. Our recent discovery of a colony of domestic cats infected with H. pylori, 22,23 and the ability to experimentally infect cats with H. pylori has raised intriguing zoonotic implications. 24 The work reported herein examined whether H. pylori could be cultured or identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from biological mucosal fluids, and studied the local mucosal and systemic immune response against H. pylori in naturally infected cats.…”

Characterization and Therapy for Experimental Infection by Helicobacter mustelae in Ferrets

“…A number of animal hosts such as gnotobiotic swine and dogs [11,23 j have been challenged experimentally with H. pylori, but long-term studies are difficult and expensive due to the size and housing requirements of these animals. Recently, infection of domestic cats with H. pylori has been described [24]. This model displays chronic-active gastritis and promises to be beneficial for long-term studies concerning the pathological phenomena associated with different phenotypes of H. pylori [25j.…”

Pediatric Issues Workshop Summary

“…The epidemiology of H. pylori infection was considered, particularly the postulated environmental reservoirs such as domestic cats, houseflies, and water [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The potential modes of transmission (fecal-oral, oral-oral) were then presented [12][13][14].…”

“…A review of the history of H. pylori infection in children and the first published articles from pediatric investigators were described. The first articles by investigators appeared in the literature within 6 months of each other describing the infection and its association with clinical disease in children [1][2][3][4].The epidemiology of H. pylori infection was considered, particularly the postulated environmental reservoirs such as domestic cats, houseflies, and water [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The potential modes of transmission (fecal-oral, oral-oral) were then presented [12][13][14].…”