Novel Intestinal Helicobacter Species Isolated from Cotton-Top Tamarins ( Saguinus oedipus ) with Chronic Colitis

Abstract

A disease similar to ulcerative colitis in humans has been identified in cotton-top tamarins (CTTs) in captivity. The clinical signs include weight loss, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding with the pathological features and biochemical abnormalities of ulcerative colitis. Approximately 25 to 40% of these animals develop colon cancer after 2 to 5 years of captivity. An infectious etiology has been proposed; however, no microbial agent to date has been identified.Helicobacter spp. have been associated with enterocolitis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans and animals. Infection with Helicobacter pylori or Helicobacter mustelae is associated with an increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue.Helicobacter hepaticus causes hepatitis, hepatic adenomas, and hepatocellular carcinomas in susceptible strains of mice. The aim of this study was to assess a colony of CTTs with a high incidence of IBD and colon cancer for the presence of colonicHelicobacter spp. A fusiform, gram-negative bacterium with bipolar flagella and periplasmic fibers was isolated from the feces of CTTs. The bacterium grew under microaerobic conditions at 37 and 42°C but not at 25°C, did not hydrolyze urea, was positive for catalase and oxidase, did not reduce nitrate to nitrite, did not hydrolyze indoxyl acetate or alkaline phosphatase, and was resistant to nalidixic acid, cephalothin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the organism was classified as a novelHelicobacter species. This is the firstHelicobacter isolated from CTTs. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of this novel Helicobacter sp. in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis and colonic adenocarcinoma in CTTs.

The role of infection in the aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease

“…The suggestion of an infectious aetiology for CTT which is a highly prevalent pancolitis in captive monkeys but rare in the wild dates back to the observations of Johnson et al [56]. A novel urease-negative Helicobacter species was identified from monkeys with this condition [57]. This organism, previously dubbed ''Flexispira taxon'', is now thought to incorporate at least 10 Helicobacter taxa, including Helicobacter bilis, Helicobacter callitrichis and Helicobacter trogontum, along with other species which have not been formally characterised but which are often referred to as Helicobacter rappini or Helicobacter flexispira [58].…”

Helicobacter marmotae sp. nov. Isolated from Livers of Woodchucks and Intestines of Cats

“…Comparison of these sequences with over 100 Helicobacter sequences in our database indicated that the isolates represent a new Helicobacter species, for which we propose the name H. marmotae. The sequence for H. marmotae is most closely related to sequences from helicobacters isolated from rhesus monkeys (AF333339 on April 30, 2020 by guest http://jcm.asm.org/ and AF333340 [11]) and cotton-top tamarins (AF107494 [30]) and H. fennelliae. The H. marmotae sequence differs from these sequences by 4 to 5% (Fig.…”

Bacterial Diseases

“…The finding of IBD, sometimes in conjunction with colon adenocarcinoma or hepatobiliary inflammatory changes, is reminiscent of findings reported in other nonhuman primates (NHPs) infected with Helicobacter spp [64e68]. A novel Helicobacter sp., Helicobacter saguini, was identified in cotton-top tamarins diagnosed with progressive colitis mimicking features of ulcerative colitis in humans [63,69]. The diarrheic marmosets reflected only the clinical state of the animal at the time of sampling.…”