Helicobacter pylori Gastritis in Cats with Long-Term Natural Infection as a Model of Human Disease

• Published in: The American journal of pathology Vol. 156; no. 2; pp. 709 - 721
• Main Authors: Esteves, Maria I., Schrenzel, Mark D., Marini, Robert P., Taylor, Nancy S., Xu, Shilu, Hagen, Susan, Feng, Yan, Shen, Zeli, Fox, James G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01-02-2000; ASIP; American Society for Investigative Pathology
• Subjects: Animal Models; Animals; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Bromodeoxyuridine - pharmacokinetics; Cat Diseases - microbiology; Cats; Chronic Disease; Disease Models, Animal; DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase - metabolism; Experimental bacterial diseases and models; Female; Gastritis - microbiology; Gastritis - veterinary; Helicobacter Infections - microbiology; Helicobacter Infections - veterinary; Helicobacter pylori; Histocytochemistry; Immunohistochemistry; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reference Values; Stomach - metabolism; Stomach - microbiology; Immunohistochemistry; Animal model; Spirillaceae; Natural; Microbiological investigation; Helicobacter pylori; Bacteria; Gastric disease; Fissipedia; Carnivora; Spirillales; Electron microscopy; Bacteriological investigation; Long term; Gastritis; Infection; Polymerase chain reaction; Pathology; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Cat; Bacteriosis; Digestive diseases; Molecular biology; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0002-9440; 1525-2191
• DOI: 10.1016/S0002-9440(10)64774-8

A natural infection with
Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) in domestic cats (
Felis cattus) less than 2 years of age has been well described in a closed colony of animals. Six cats from this colony that were serially evaluated by culture, polymerase chain reaction, and light and electron microscopy for a period of 3 years demonstrated persistent gastric colonization with a single
cag
−
vac
+ strain of
H. pylori. In these cats, as well as five other 5- to 6-year-old cats that were examined, a long-term infection resulted in chronic diffuse lymphofollicular atrophic gastritis with areas of mucosal dysplasia in the antrum and predominantly midsuperficial gastritis in the body and cardia. Topographically, the distribution of lesions was similar in both young and older cats and closely resembled that found in humans, with the most severe changes occurring in the gastric antrum. Few granulocytes and no significant elevation in mast cells were seen in older
H. pylori-infected cats compared with uninfected controls; however, marked increases in interepithelial globule leukocytes and numerous active mucosal lymphoid follicles were present in infected animals. Indices of gastritis were significantly greater in older infected cats when compared with uninfected controls and younger cats (
P < 0.05). The antral cell proliferation index of infected older cats was significantly (
P = 0.021) greater than that of uninfected controls. Apoptotic indices of the gastric antrum and body of infected cats were significantly (
P = 0.01. increased
versus controls. Chronic infection with
H. pylori in cats shares many features of long-term
H. pylori infection in humans, including the development of preneoplastic processes. This similarity provides useful, comparative insights into host-pathogen interactions.