title: Spiral bacterium associated with gastric, ileal and caecal mucosa of mice.
abstract: A spiral shaped bacterium was seen in smears and histological sections (stained by carbolfuchsin) of gastric, ileal and caecal mucosa as well as in stool smears from mice. A significant correlation between the presence of the spiral bacterium and the occurrence of gastritis was observed but the ileal and caecal mucosa seemed unaffected. The bacterium was Gram negative and grew on BHM and Skirrow's medium, under microaerophilic conditions, at 37 degrees C. Its major biochemical characteristics included positive catalase and oxidase reactions and a rapidly positive urease test. There were 2 or 3 spiral turns per cell and a tuft of up to 12 sheathed flagella on each pointed end. Entwined, braided periplasmic fibrils covered the surface of the cell. This spiral bacterium seemed to be part of the normal intestinal flora but was associated with gastritis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Research in Bacteriology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Contigli
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Coimbra
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Moura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D007082:Ileum / Q000382:microbiology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D013139:Spirillum / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure