Spiral bacterium associated with gastric, ileal and caecal mucosa of mice

Abstract

A spiral shaped bacterium was seen in smears and histological sections (stained by carbolfuchsin) of gastric, ileal and caecal mucosa as well as in stool smears from mice. A significant correlation between the presence of the spiral bacterium and the occurrence of gastritis was observed but the ileal and caecal mucosa seemed unaffected. The bacterium was Gram negative and grew on BHM and Skirrow's medium, under microaerophilic conditions, at 37 degrees C. Its major biochemical characteristics included positive catalase and oxidase reactions and a rapidly positive urease test. There were 2 or 3 spiral turns per cell and a tuft of up to 12 sheathed flagella on each pointed end. Entwined, braided periplasmic fibrils covered the surface of the cell. This spiral bacterium seemed to be part of the normal intestinal flora but was associated with gastritis.

Helicobacter rodentium sp. nov., a Urease-Negative Helicobacter Species Isolated from Laboratory Mice

“…Four other murine Helicobacter species have been described previously, and it is very likely they all normally colonize the gastrointestinal tract. H. muridarum and "F. rappini" were originally isolated from mouse gastrointestinal tracts, where their presence normally does not elicit an inflammatory response (15,20,22). However, H. muridarum can colonize the gastric tissue of mice and induce gastritis (20) liver and bile, and in certain strains of mice, these bacteria can induce hepatitis and in one strain of mice, A/JCr, they can cause hepatic cancer (7,9,10,27).…”

“…capable of colonizing the intestinal tracts of rodents have been characterized by phenotypic, biochemical, and molecular analyses. Helicobacter rnuridarum colonizes the cecum and ileum and induces a gastritis following colonization of the gastric mucosa in older rodents (15,20). "Flexispira rappini," a helicobacter based on 16s rRNA data but formally unnamed, which has been linked to abortion in sheep, necrotic liver foci in aborted sheep fetuses, and diarrheal disease in humans, has also been isolated recently from the feces of mice (1,22).…”

Enterohepatic Helicobacter Species Are Prevalent in Mice from Commercial and Academic Institutions in Asia, Europe, and North America

“…Naturally acquired H. typhlonius causes typhlocolitis in immunocompromised mice (6,11). H. muridarum may be associated with gastritis (22), whereas H. bilis is associated with moderate hepatitis in aged inbred and outbred mice (10,12) and typhlocolitis and lower-bowel cancer in mice with intestinal barrier defects (17). Furthermore, H. bilis was reported to confound a study performed to determine the effect of chronic oral supplementation with creatinine in which both control and experimental outbred Swiss mice developed hepatitis (8).…”

Helicobacter trogontum sp. nov., Isolated from the Rat Intestine

“…Indeed, organisms morphologically similar to H. trogontum and "F. rqpini," a urease-producing intestinal colonizer of mice, have been observed in the stomachs of dogs (19). H. mundurum, another urease producer, is a normal component of the intestinal flora of mice and rats which can also colonize the stomachs of mice and can apparently induce gastritis (23). The morphology of H. trogontum is similar to that of H. bilis, which also colonizes the lower intestine, but in addition H. bilis also colonizes livers of aged mice.…”