Detection of Gastric Helicobacter like Organisms (GHLOs) in Domestic and Stray cats in Tehran Province via PCR

The presence of spiral shape bacteria in the feline stomach has been recognized for over a century, but the identities and degrees of prevalence of such organisms in cats are still poorly documented. On the other hand reports of domestic animal-to-human transmission and isolation of H. pylori from domestic cats have lead to speculation that cats and dogs may serve as a reservoir for human infection. The zoonotic potential of Helicobacter heilmannii and felis has been the subject of considerable interest as well. In order to investigate the presence and prevalence of gastric Helicobacter Spp, the feline gastric samples underwent RUT, histopathology examinations and genus strain specific PCRs. According to 16srRNA specific PCR, prevalence of GHLO infection in domestic and stray cats was estimated 100% and 56.7% respectively. The most commonly found GHLOs in cats are H. felis and H. Heilmannii. According to our results H. Heilmannii is the most prevalent infecting strain. No signs of H. pylori infection was detected in the studied cats. Prevalence of GHLO infection was significantly different between domestic and stray cats (p<0/005). The comparison between different diagnostic tests revealed that giemsa staining is the best method for initial screening of GHLO infection. Furthermore, gastric body is the best site for feline biopsy sampling. Unlike humans, there was no correlation found between presence and degree of Helicobacter colonization and the development and severity of chronic gastritis in cats ( p>0.05).

Keywords:

cat , GHLOs , Helicobacter , PCR , Histopathology , heilmannii , felis