Isolation and characterization of <i>Helicobacter suis</i> from human stomach
Emiko Rimbara, Masato Suzuki, Hidenori Matsui, Masahiko Nakamura, Misako Morimoto, Chihiro Sasakawa, Hiroki Masuda, Sachiyo Nomura, Takako Osaki, Noriyo Nagata, Keigo Shibayama, K. Tokunaga
Abstract
Significance This study directly demonstrates virulence-associated features of Helicobacter suis infection using isolates obtained from human stomachs. H. suis is the second-most-prevalent Helicobacter species in the human stomach, but diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori often fail to diagnose H. suis. H. suis does not have orthologs of either cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) or vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA), two major virulence factors in H. pylori , suggesting that the molecular pathogenicity of H. suis and clinical manifestations caused by H. suis infection are different from those caused by H. pylori . This study paves the way for epidemiological research aimed at identifying the causal relationships between H. suis and gastric diseases and developing diagnostic methods.