Gastric Helicobacter species as a cause of feline gastric lymphoma: A viable hypothesis

• Published in: Veterinary immunology and immunopathology Vol. 123; no. 1; pp. 106 - 113
• Main Authors: Bridgeford, Erin C., Marini, Robert P., Feng, Yan, Parry, Nicola M.A., Rickman, Barry, Fox, James G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15-05-2008; Amsterdam: Elsevier
• Subjects: animal tissues; Animals; bacterial infections; cat diseases; Cat Diseases - microbiology; Cat Diseases - pathology; Cats; Chi-Square Distribution; Feline Helicobacter infection; Feline MALT lymphoma; FISH; Gastric lymphoma; Gastric Mucosa - microbiology; Gastric Mucosa - pathology; Helicobacter; Helicobacter bizzozeronii; Helicobacter felis; Helicobacter heilmannii; Helicobacter heilmannii - genetics; Helicobacter heilmannii - growth & development; Helicobacter Infections - microbiology; Helicobacter Infections - pathology; Helicobacter Infections - veterinary; Helicobacter salomonis; Hhe; Histocytochemistry - veterinary; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence - veterinary; lymphatic system; lymphoma; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone - microbiology; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone - pathology; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone - veterinary; pets; Retrospective Studies; stomach; stomach neoplasms; Stomach Neoplasms - microbiology; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Stomach Neoplasms - veterinary; Feline Helicobacter infection; Helicobacter heilmannii; Gastric lymphoma; FISH; Hhe; Feline MALT lymphoma
• ISSN: 0165-2427; 1873-2534
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2008.01.016

Gastric
Helicobacter spp. are associated with chronic inflammation and neoplastic transformation in humans as well as domestic and laboratory species. The present study examined the association of
Helicobacter heilmannii (
Hhe) infection in pet cats with feline gastric mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Tissues were collected via gastric biopsy or at necropsy from 47 pet cats with clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease, including vomiting and inappetance, and classified as gastritis (14/47), lymphoma (31/37), or normal (2/47). Tissues positive for argyrophilic organisms with Warthin–Starry stain (29/47) were assessed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for the presence of
Hhe strains 1–4 as well as with a fifth probe that detected
Helicobacter salomonis,
Helicobacter bizzozeronii, or
Helicobacter felis. A significant association of positive Warthin–Starry status with
Hhe infection was found in cases of sick cats (22/29;
p
<
0.05 by Chi-square;
χ
2
=
7.034). Interestingly, a significant association between
Hhe status and a diagnosis of lymphoblastic or lymphocytic lymphoma was observed as well in a subset of 24 Warthin–Starry positive lymphoma cases: of lymphoblastic lymphoma cases, 13/17 were positive for
Hhe (
p
<
0.05;
χ
2
=
4.854).
Hhe strains 2 and 4 were most commonly found (18/29 and 17/29, respectively) among sick cats, although a higher than expected number of cats was also positive for
Hhe1, which initial reports have described as rare in cats and common in humans. The association found between a positive
Hhe status with the presence of feline gastric lymphoma, especially lymphoblastic lymphoma, argues for the need to conduct prospective studies to better identify the frequency and strain distribution of
Hhe infection in both healthy and clinically ill cats, particularly those cats with gastric lymphoma.