Transmission of Helicobacter pylori in an animal model.

An experimental murine model was studied to evaluate the orogastrointestinal colonization
of Helicobacter pylori and the animal-to-animal transmission. Balb/C mice were infected with
H. pylori and housed with uninoculated mice in cages with and without a grate on the floor.
Mice were killed after 7, 14, 30, and 45 days, and samples from the esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, colon, and rectum were analyzed for H. pylori by PCR and immunohistochemistry
and for histological changes. Bacterial colonization was assessed also by culture from stomach
samples. H. pylori was cultured by stomach samples of infected mice at 7, 14, and 30 days.
Using PCR and immunohistochemistry, H. pylori was detected in inoculated and uninoculated
mice in all areas examined, with an high percentage of positive samples in the esophagus and
stomach. Moreover transmission was detected, without differences, regardless of whether
mice were housed with or without a grate on the floor, supporting an orooral animal
transmission.