Brief Reports
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 14, 2005; 11(10): 1549-1553
Published online Mar 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i10.1549
Helicobacter pylori strain-specific modulation of gastric inflammation in Mongolian gerbils
Ken Ohnita, Hajime Isomoto, Shoji Honda, Akihiro Wada, Chun-Yang Wen, Yoshito Nishi, Yohei Mizuta, Toshiya Hirayama, Shigeru Kohno
Ken Ohnita, Hajime Isomoto, Yoshito Nishi, Yohei Mizuta, Shigeru Kohno, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto 1-7-1, Nagasaki, Japan
Shoji Honda, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Oita Medical University, 1-1 Hasama, Oita 987-5593, Japan
Akihiro Wada, Toshiya Hirayama, Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto 12-4, Nagasaki, Japan
Chun-Yang Wen, Department of Molecular Pathology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto 12-4, Nagasaki, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Hajime Isomoto, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Japan. hajimei2002@yahoo.co.jp
Telephone: +81-95-849-7567 Fax: +81-95-849-7568
Received: September 2, 2004
Revised: September 3, 2004
Accepted: September 15, 2004
Published online: March 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: The cag pathogenicity island (PAI) is one of potential virulence determinants of Helicobacter pylori. The Mongolian gerbil is a suitable experimental animal for the screening of virulence factors of H pylori.

METHODS: Five-week-old Mongolian gerbils were inoculated with a standard H pylori strain (ATCC 43504) possessing the cag PAI or a clinical isolate lacking the genes’ cluster (OHPC-0002). The animals were killed at 2, 4, 8, 24 and 48 wk after inoculation (n = 5 each), and macroscopic and histopathological findings in the stomachs were compared.

RESULTS: In gerbils infected with ATCC 43504, a more severe degree of infiltration of polynuclear and mononuclear cells and lymphoid follicles was observed from 4 wk after inoculation compared to gerbils infected with OHPC-0002 especially in the antrum and transitional zone from the fundic to pyloric gland area. In addition, glandular atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, gastric ulcer and hyperplastic polyps were noted in gerbils infected with ATCC 43504, whereas only mild gastric erosions occurred in those infected with OHPC-0002.

CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the cag PAI could be directly involved in gastric immune and inflammatory responses in the Mongolian gerbils, leading to a more advanced gastric disease.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; Mongolian gerbil; cag pathogenicity island