title: Diversity of zoonotic enterohepatic Helicobacter species and detection of a putative novel gastric Helicobacter species in wild and wild-born captive chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas.
abstract: A number of Helicobacter species cause gastrointestinal or hepatic disease in humans, including H. pylori, gastric non-H. pylori helicobacters from animal origin and enterohepatic Helicobacter species. Little is known on the presence of Helicobacter species in great apes, our closest living relatives and potential reservoirs of microorganisms that might emerge in humans. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of gastric and enterohepatic Helicobacter species in African chimpanzees and gorillas. Fresh fecal samples were collected from wild endangered chimpanzees and critically endangered western lowland gorillas from different African National Parks, as well as wild-born captive animals from primate sanctuaries. Intact Helicobacter bacteria were demonstrated in feces by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Screening using a Helicobacter genus-specific PCR revealed the presence of Helicobacter DNA in the majority of animals in all groups. Cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments revealed a high homology to sequences from various zoonotic enterohepatic Helicobacter species, including H. cinaedi and H. canadensis. A number of gorillas and chimpanzees also tested positive using PCR assays designed to amplify part of the ureAB gene cluster and the hsp60 gene of gastric helicobacters. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of a putative novel zoonotic gastric Helicobacter taxon/species. For this species, we propose the name 'Candidatus Helicobacter homininae', pending isolation and further genetic characterization. The presence of several Helicobacter species not only implies a possible health threat for these endangered great apes, but also a possible zoonotic transmission of gastric and enterohepatic helicobacters from these primate reservoirs to humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Electronic address: bram.flahou@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Flahou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Brno, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Biology Center, Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; CEITEC, Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Modrý
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Brno, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Biology Center, Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Kateřina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pomajbíková
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Brno, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Biology Center, Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Department of Mammal Ecology, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kvetna 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic; Liberec ZOO, Masarykova 1347/31, 460 01 Liberec, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Klára J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Petrželková
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annemieke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smet
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ducatelle
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pasmans
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Brno, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Centre for Research in Anthropology, ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Av. Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rui M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sá
authors.affiliation: WWF, Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, Bangui, Central African Republic.
authors.forename: Angelique
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, 10400 Nanyuki, Kenya.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulama
authors.affiliation: Limbe Wildlife Centre, Limbe, Cameroon.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Health and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66 (Agnes Sjöberginkatu 2), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haesebrouck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018420:Ape Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006071:Gorilla gorilla; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000235:genetics*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000662:veterinary; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D017385:Sequence Homology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Chimpanzee; Enterohepatic Helicobacter species; Gastric Helicobacter species; Gorilla; Helicobacter cinaedi; ‘Candidatus Helicobacter homininae’