Helicobacter anseris sp. nov. and Helicobacter brantae sp. nov., Isolated from Feces of Resident Canada Geese in the Greater Boston Area

Abstract

Numbers of nonmigratory Canada geese have increased substantially in the past decade, and they have become a nuisance in some urban areas. Because of their close contact with humans in parks and areas adjacent to surface waterways, contact with their feces poses a zoonotic risk. A total of 97 geese from 10 separate geographic locales in the greater Boston area had their feces sampled for detection of Helicobacter spp. Identification of Helicobacter spp. based on 16S rRNA genus-specific helicobacter primers was noted in 39 of 97 (40.2%) DNA fecal extracts. Twenty-seven (27.8%) of these geese had helicobacters isolated from their feces. A urease-positive novel species, Helicobacter anseris, based on phenotypic, biochemical, and 16S rRNA analyses, was isolated from 20 geese from seven different flocks. A second, novel, urease-negative Helicobacter sp., H. brantae, was identified in seven geese. Four geese had both novel Helicobacter spp. cultured from their feces. Whether these two novel helicobacters pose a zoonotic risk, similar to other enteric helicobacters (e.g., H. canadensis, previously isolated from diarrheic and bacteremic humans and from geese in Europe), will require further studies.The genus Helicobacter comprises a group of gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral to curve-shaped bacteria originally isolated from the stomachs of humans and other mammals (11). The type species of the genus, Helicobacter pylori, causes chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer disease in humans and has more recently been linked to the development of gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoma (3, 4, 7). Since H. pylori was first isolated in 1982, an additional 26 formally named Helicobacter spp. have been characterized. These have been cultured from a variety of hosts, most commonly the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals (11).Wild birds have been recognized for decades as reservoirs of Campylobacter spp. (8,17,22). However, it was not until H. pametensis was isolated from wild birds and named in 1994 that avian species were recognized as reservoirs of enteric helicobacters (6,19). Helicobacter pametensis was also isolated from the feces of a pig. Other helicobacters not formally named but referred to as "helicobacter bird B" and "helicobacter bird C" were also cultured from the feces of wild birds living on the coast of Massachusetts (6). Soon thereafter, H. pullorum was isolated from the intestinal tracts of chickens, diseased chicken livers, and diarrheic humans (20). Most recently, H. canadensis, first isolated from diarrheic and bacteremic patients, was cultured from the feces of Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on the Atlantic coast of Europe (12, 21-23).Because H. canadensis was originally identified in humans and subsequently found in geese, we wanted to ascertain whether this helicobacter would also be isolated from Canada geese which frequent public waterways, parks, and golf courses (2, 8, 9). Their feces heavily contaminate those areas and could serve as a zoonoti...

Phylogenetic Diversity and Molecular Detection of Bacteria in Gull Feces

“…As waterfowl are an important source of pollution in beach areas (17,26) and can serve as potential reservoirs of human infections (13,36), the assays described herein would be useful in health risk-based analyses (i.e., epidemiological studies and quantitative microbial risk studies) of nonhuman fecal pollu- on May 7, 2018 by guest http://aem.asm.org/ tion in recreational waters. Additionally, having gull-specific markers in the fecal source-tracking toolbox will help beach managers better assess potential causes of beach postings beyond familiar fecal pollution sources such as municipal wastewater and therefore implement remediation practices that target the most relevant sources of pollution.…”

Helicobacter pullorum Outbreak in C57BL/6NTac and C3H/HeNTac Barrier-Maintained Mice

“…2). The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the 1.2-kb Helicobacter spp.-specific DNA fragments from goose feces indicated 100% homology with H. brantae (9).…”

“…Mice maintained in the affected barrier at Taconic, Inc., in Germantown, NY, were shipped to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for evaluation. Fresh fecal samples from mice as well as cecum and colon specimens were aseptically collected at necropsy and cultured under microaerobic conditions, and bacterial isolates were subjected to biochemical characterization conditions as previously described (9). After 72 h of incubation, individual colonies from 15 C57BL/6NTac mice and 2 C3H/HeNTac mice were observed on Columbia blood agar and CVA plates containing cefoperazone, vancomycin, and amphotericin (BBL Campy agar; BBL, Sparks, MD).…”

Low Occurrence ofHelicobacterDNA in Tropical Wild Birds, Venezuela

“…Although H. pullorum has been detected in 4% of healthy humans, its colonization and virulence in humans are poorly understood (Ceelen et al, 2005). Helicobacter infection in wild birds has been reported only in temperate regions of Europe and the United States Seymour et al, 1994;Waldenstrom et al, 2003Waldenstrom et al, , 2007Fox et al, 2006 and Cardinalis phoeniceus [n54]) trapped using mist nets. Live birds were placed in individual plastic boxes to collect feces, which were immediately transferred to 1.5-mL tubes containing 100% ethanol and kept at room temperature until DNA extraction in the laboratory at IVIC.…”

“…The genus contains 33 formally named species (Euzeby, 1997). Helicobacter pullorum, Helicobacter pametensis, Helicobacter canadensis, Helicobacter anseris, and Helicobacter brantae are enteric species commonly found in birds (Whary and Fox, 2004;Fox et al, 2006). Two of these (H. pullorum and H. canadensis) are associated with gastroenteritis in humans, suggesting that birds may act as reservoirs for the transmission of Helicobacter (Fox et al, 2000;Waldenstrom et al, 2003;Ceelen et al, 2005).…”