title: Considering increased mouse stomach mass when calculating prophylactic vaccine efficacy against Helicobacter pylori.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Calculating the level of protection follow vaccination against Helicobacter pylori in mice is conventionally performed based on stomach mass. However, prophylactic vaccination is associated with a post-immunisation gastritis which results in considerable thickening of the gastric mucosa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Here, an analysis of nine experiments demonstrates that this post-immunisation gastritis can actually induce a significant increase in stomach mass. To determine whether this mass increase impacts upon the perceived level of protection, calculations were performed comparing colony-forming units (CFU) either per gram of tissue or per whole stomach. A trend was apparent towards increased stomach mass influencing the degree of protection if CFU were calculated per gram. However, as this effect was not significant, it appears valid to express CFU either per gram or per stomach (if age and gender matched mice are used).
authors.affiliation: Centre for Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. psutton@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sutton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D007114:Immunization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects*; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines