FAILURE TO ISOLATE HELICOBACTER-PYLORI FROM STRAY CATS INDICATES THATHELICOBACTER-PYLORI IN CATS MAY BE AN ANTHROPONOSIS - AN ANIMAL INFECTION WITH A HUMAN PATHOGEN

The recent isolation of Helicobacter pylori from cats obtained from a commercial supplier has potentially important public health implicatio ns. The present study investigated whether H. pylori infection was com mon in stray cats. Twenty-five cats were examined for the presence of H. pylori by histological examination, culture and two polymerase chai n reaction (PCR) assays. Histologically, the gastric biopsy specimens from all cats showed large spiral organisms typical of H. felis and no t H. pylori. Samples from 23 cats yielded bacterial growth and two had no growth. Colonies grossly similar to H. pylori were tested for cata lase, oxidase, urease and Gram's stain react ions. None was H. pylori. All samples tested as positive by tile Helicobacter 16S rRNA genus-sp ecific PCR assay and only six cats and a mouse stomach infected with H . heilmannii gave positive results with the adhesin subunit A (hpaA)-s pecific PCR assay, which is consistent with either H. pylori or H. hei lmannii. The helicobacters identified in these samples by PCR were not cultivable and hence were probably H. heilmannii. H. pylori infection is uncommon in stray cats and owning pet cats should not be a threat to public health in relation to H. pylori infection.