The occurrence and clinical significance of enterohepatic helicobacter species in laboratory rodents

Abstract

To date, 13 enterohepatic Helicobacter species have been detected in laboratory rodents. Some of these species, in particular Helicobacter hepaticus and Helicobacter bills, cause disease in immunocompromised and immunocompetent laboratory mice, rats and/or hamsters. In addition, subclinical infections with these bacteria may interfere with results obtained from experimental research in these animals and thus may lead to faulty interpretation of the data. Some laboratory rodent-associated Helicobacter species may also be considered zoonotic agents. Apart from Helicobacter hepaticus, the pathogenesis of Helicobacter infections has not been studied extensively, a fact which means there are substantial gaps in the comprehension of the virulence mechanisms of enterohepatic Helicobacter species associated with laboratory rodents. For all these reasons, the potential importance of these bacterial pathogens cannot be overlooked and undoubtedly merits further investigation.