Ss. Khanolkar-gaitonde et al., Isolation of bacteria other than Helicobacter pylori from stomachs of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri spp.) with gastritis, DIG DIS SCI, 45(2), 2000, pp. 272-280
Gastric biopsy specimens obtained from 12 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri spp.) w
ere investigated by culture for the presence of bacteria. The stomachs of t
wo monkeys with gastritis were colonized with gram-negative, urease-positiv
e bacteria, identified as Ochrobactrum anthropi by the Vitek and API NFT me
thods (BioMerieux). A third monkey with gastritis was positive for Aeromona
s salmonicida and Pseudomonas vesicularis (both urease-negative). No Helico
bacter pylori was isolated from squirrel monkeys. Light microscopic and tra
nsmission electron microscopic examination revealed that the O. anthropi is
olates were covered by extracellular material, indicating a capsule. Charac
terization of the O. anthropi urease revealed Michaelis-Menten constants (K
-m values) of 6.2 and 4.0 mM urea for the ureases of O. anthropi isolates S
664 and S1835, respectively, and 3.7 for type strain 49188. Western blot an
alysis using H. pylori- and H. felis-specific antibodies detected shared an
tigenic epitopes between the ureases of H. pylori, H. felis, and O. anthrop
i. The apparent molecular mass of the urease enzymes of the O. anthropi iso
lates was determined on 6% nondenaturing gels to be approximately 82 kDa. A
ntimicrobial susceptibility tests, using the MicroScan method (Dade Interna
tional), revealed multidrug resistance for the O. anthropi isolates with su
sceptibilities for the antibiotics amikacin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, cef
operazone, tobramycin, imipenem, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.