title: The microbiological, histological, immunological and molecular determinants of Helicobacter pylori infection in guinea pigs as a convenient animal model to study pathogenicity of these bacteria and the infection dependent immune response of the host.
abstract: Helicobacter pylori is an etiological agent of chronic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastric cancers. The use of an appropriate animal model for experimental studies on the pathogenesis of H. pylori infections is necessary due to the chronic character of such infections and difficulties in identifying their early stage in humans. The aim of this study was to develop a guinea pig model of H. pylori infection and identify its microbiological, histological, serological and molecular determinants. Guinea pigs were inoculated per os with H. pylori strains: CCUG 17874 or ATCC 700312, both producing vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) and cytotoxin associated gene A (CagA) protein, suspended in Brucella broth with fetal calf serum (FCS) and Skirrow supplement of antibiotics. To determine H. pylori colonization, 7 and 28 days after the challenge, a panel of diagnostic methods was used. It included culturing of microorganisms from the gastric tissue, histopathological analysis of gastric sections, stained by Mayer,s haematoxylin and eosin to assess inflammatory response, by Giemsa as well as Warthin-Starry silver staining to visualise Helicobacter-like organisms (HLO) and with anti-Ki-67 antigen to assess epithelial cell proliferation. H. pylori infection was also confirmed by polymerase chain reactions (PCR) for detection in gastric tissue of ureC and cagA genes and by serological assessment of H. pylori antigens in faeces. This study showed the usefulness of microbiological, histological, immunological and molecular methods for the detection of persistent H. pylori infections in guinea pigs, which could be an appropriate model for studying H. pylori pathogenesis and the related immune response against these microbes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroimmunology, Department of Immunology and Infectious Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walencka
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroimmunology, Department of Immunology and Infectious Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Weronika
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gonciarz
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroimmunology, Department of Immunology and Infectious Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Eliza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mnich
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroimmunology, Department of Immunology and Infectious Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gajewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stawerski
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathomorphology, Hospital under the name of K. Bieganski, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Knapik-Dabrowicz
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroimmunology, Department of Immunology and Infectious Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chmiela
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial