title: Primary biliary cirrhosis, similar to that in human beings, in a male C57BL/6 mouse infected with Helicobacter pylori.
abstract: We report a case of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) that occurred in a 24-month-old male C57BL/6 mouse infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Microscopically, the portal tract in the liver showed nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis with variable cytologic distortion of the epithelial cells and peribiliary lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. Immunohistochemistry using alpha-smooth muscle actin demonstrated fibrous bands associating with the wall of vasculature. The level of serum antivacuolating toxin IgG in this mouse showed the highest value (optical density=2.1470) of the H. pylori-infected group (n=13) (optical density=1.7168+/-0.1759, mean+/-SD). Spontaneously developed PBC-like lesions in C57BL/6 mice have been reported by several authors. However, this case strikingly resembles human PBC with its characterized histological features. Therefore, we propose that the increase in vacuolating toxin caused by H. pylori infection may be related to the development of PBC by molecular mimicry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Moon-Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goo
authors.forename: Mi-Ran
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ki
authors.forename: Hye-Rim
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Il-Hwa
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Jin-Kyu
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hai-Jie
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Dong-Wei
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Ok-Kyung
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Sun-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Sung-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Kyu-Shik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jeong
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000097:blood; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C074689:VacA protein, Helicobacter pylori