title: Helicobacter canis colonization in sheep: a Zoonotic link.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helicobacter canis has been associated with hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal disease in dogs, cats, and humans. Infection has not been documented in other species.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sheep feces subjected to microaerobic culture. Isolates were characterized by genus-specific PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism, biochemical profiling, and 16S rRNA sequence analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Helicobacter canis was isolated from sheep feces and confirmed by the above methods. These isolates are distinct from other sheep-origin enterohepatic Helicobacter species previously isolated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identifies sheep as H. canis reservoirs potentially important in zoonotic or foodborne transmission.
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Alton G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Swennes
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.forename: Elise M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Trowel
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cullin
authors.forename: Zeli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Jassia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Katherine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Petersson
authors.forename: Floyd E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Dewhirst
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002415:Cats; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004285:Dogs; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012756:Sheep / Q000382:microbiology*; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Helicobacter infections; sheep diseases; zoonoses