Animal models for host-pathogen interaction studies

Abstract

There is no model of Helicobacter pylori infection that exactly mimics the human diseases. In a particular, there are no good models of ulceration or gastric adenocarcinoma. Patterns of gastritis induced in the animals tend to be lymphocytic and lack the neutrophil infiltration typical of H. pylori infection in the adult. However, the animal models are starting to provide valuable information with respect to factors involved in the colonisation of the gastric mucosa and the importance of host factors in the development of gastric atrophy, as well as making possible the screening of potential therapeutic agents and vaccine candidates. Models include gnotobiotic piglets, primates, cats, dogs, ferrets and a range of rodents. Recent advances in the mouse models mean that they will allow us to dissect bacterial host interactions in a novel manner due to the availability of a wide range of immunological reagents and numerous mutant or transgenic strains.