Experimental Helicobacter pylori infection of Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

The aim of the present study was to establish an animal model for Helicobac ter pylori (H. pylori) infection at the German Primate Centre in rhesus mon keys (Macaca mulatta). During the experiments the susceptibility of three a nimals to different H. pylori strains of human origin was tested. In a foll ow-up study gastric biopsies from three different sites were investigated i n regular intervals using microbiological, histological, electron microscop ical and molecular biological methods to evaluate the presence of bacterial colonization and the occurrence of gastritis. It was possible to establish a persistent experimental infection. The rather long follow-up period of 1 8 months offered the possibility to demonstrate a permanent H. pylori infec tion in the gastric mucosa of the test animals. The three animals have now been successfully colonized with H. pylori for 18 months and presented a ch ronic active gastritis confirmed by microbiological and histological method s. By molecular typing, the identity of the isolates recovered from the ani mals was shown. It was possible to demonstrate that one infection strain ou tcompeted the second one. Taken together, prerequisites exist for making us e of an attractive and useful animal model in rhesus monkeys especially for long term observations.