Detection of Helicobacter pylori in cow's milk.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the existence of Helicobacter pylori in cow's milk as one of the foods which most Japanese children eat.


RESULTS
Detection of H. pylori was demonstrated by the semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a culture method and electron microscopy. Semi-nested PCR demonstrated the ureA gene of H. pylori in 13 of 18 (72.2%) raw milk samples and in 11 of 20 (55%) commercial pasteurized milk samples. Helicobacter pylori binding immunomagnetic beads with H. pylori-specific goat anti-H. pylori antibody was shown by electron microscopy in both raw and pasteurized milk positive for the ureA gene. Helicobacter pylori was cultured in one raw milk sample, whereas it was not cultured in pasteurized milk samples.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a possibility that cow's milk is a transmission vehicle in childhood H. pylori infection, although we failed to confirm the survival of H. pylori in pasteurized milk.
Fujimura
S
S
Departments of Microbiology and Gastroenterology, Miyagi University, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. hujimura@myu.ac.jp
Kawamura
T
T
Kato
S
S
Tateno
H
H
Watanabe
A
A
D000818:Animals; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial