title: Helicobacter marmotae and novel Helicobacter and Campylobacter species isolated from the livers and intestines of prairie dogs.
abstract: Prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are used to study the aetiology and prevention of gallstones because of the similarities of prairie dog and human bile gallstone composition. Epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested a connection between infection with Helicobacter species and cholesterol cholelithiasis, cholecystis and gallbladder cancer. Ten of the 34 prairie dogs in this study had positive Helicobacter species identified by PCR using Helicobacter genus-specific primers. Ten of 34 prairie dogs had positive Campylobacter species identified in the intestine by PCR with Campylobacter genus-specific primers. Six Helicobacter sp. isolates and three Campylobacter sp. isolates were identified taxonomically by 16S rRNA gene analysis. The prairie dog helicobacters fell into three clusters adjacent to Helicobacter marmotae. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, three strains in two adjacent clusters were included in the species H. marmotae. Three strains were only 97.1 % similar to the sequence of H. marmotae and can be considered a novel species with the provisional designation Helicobacter sp. Prairie Dog 3. The prairie dog campylobacters formed a single novel cluster and represent a novel Campylobacter sp. with the provisional designation Campylobacter sp. Prairie Dog. They branched with Campylobacter cuniculorum at 96.3 % similarity and had the greatest sequence similarity to Campylobacter helveticus at 97.1 % similarity. Whether H. marmotae or the novel Helicobacter sp. and Campylobacter sp. identified in prairie dogs play a role in cholesterol gallstones or hepatobiliary disease requires further studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Maike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beisele
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Zeli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mobley
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.affiliation: Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
authors.forename: Mohammad Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Abedin
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.|Department of Molecular Genetics, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
authors.forename: Floyd E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Dewhirst
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S