Healthy Cats Are Commonly Colonized with “Helicobacter heilmannii” That Is Associated with Minimal Gastritis

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Abstract
GastricHelicobacterinfection in healthy pet cats is not well characterized. We performed endoscopy with gastric biopsy on 15 healthy pet cats that were rigorously screened to exclude underlying or concurrent diseases that might affectHelicobactercolonization. Gastric mucosa biopsy specimens were examined by histology, culture, and PCR for the presence ofHelicobacterinfection and by histology for the presence of gastritis. Of 15 cats, all but 1 had gastricHelicobacter-like organisms (GHLOs) on examination by light microscopy, and in the one histologically negative cat, GHLOs were detected by PCR. Gastric inflammation was mild or was absent for all cats. NoHelicobacterspecies were identified by culture. Analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence fromHelicobacterstrains from 10 cats showed that all bacteria were closely related toHelicobacter felis, although there was heterogeneity among the sequences. These results suggest that the gastric mucosa of healthy pet cats is commonly colonized with an uncultivatedHelicobacterthat is closely related toH. felis, is associated with little or no gastritis, and shows heterogeneity in its 16S rRNA sequence. The epithet “Helicobacter heilmannii” continues to be an appropriate working designation for these bacteria.