Experimental infection of C3H/HeJ mice with the NY18 isolate of Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), an emerging disease of public health concern in many areas of the world, is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Small animal models of A phagocytophilum in laboratory mice have been developed and used to study the pathogenesis of HGA. In this study, we characterized the pathologic changes in acute infection of C3H/HeJ mice experimentally infected with the NY18 isolate of A phagocytophilum. Although no clinical signs were noted, acute infection was associated with gross splenomegaly, microscopic inflammatory lesions in the lung and liver, hyperplastic lesions on the spleen, and clinical pathology abnormalities including neutropenia and monocytosis. This study emphasizes the use of well-defined animal models as a valuable tool for the study of A phagocytophilum infections.

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in rhesus monkeys using a novel antiadhesion compound.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Helicobacter pylori can be eradicated by administration of antimicrobials, but resistant strains have emerged, and there is a need for novel therapeutic approaches against this infection. This study aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of 3'-sialyllactose sodium salt (3'SL), an oligosaccharide that occurs naturally in human and bovine milk and that can inhibit the adhesion of H. pylori to human epithelial cells in vitro. METHODS: Twelve H. pylori-positive rhesus monkeys were given 3'SL, either alone (regimens 1 and 2; n = 6) or in combination with omeprazole (regimen 3; n = 4), or bismuth subsalicylate (regimen 4; n = 6). Videogastroscopies were performed before, during, and after treatment, and gastric biopsy specimens were obtained for quantitative cultures and histology. The H. pylori strains colonizing the animals were genotyped. RESULTS: After regimen 1 or 2, 2 of 6 animals were cured permanently, and a third animal was transiently cleared. The 3 other animals remained persistently colonized and did not respond to regimen 3. Regimen 4 resulted in transient decreases in colony counts in 3 of 6 other animals. Gastritis was suppressed only in the 2 animals who became persistently H. pylori negative. There was no apparent relation between 3'SL efficacy and any of the H. pylori tested genotypes. No side effects were observed in any of the animals receiving 3'SL. CONCLUSIONS: Antiadhesive therapy is safe; it can cure or decrease H. pylori colonization in some rhesus monkeys, but the addition of a proton pump inhibitor or bismuth subsalicylate does not increase cure rate.

Endoscopic spray cryotherapy: a new technique for mucosal ablation in the esophagus.

BACKGROUND: A simple and safe method for controlled ablation of esophageal mucosa is not currently available. Therefore, an endoscopic cryotherapy device was developed and its efficacy and safety were assessed in a swine model. METHODS: The device consists of a cryogenic system that delivers cold nitrogen gas via a catheter introduced into the esophagus through the accessory channel of an upper GI endoscope. Esophagoscopy was performed in 20 swine under conscious sedation, and cold nitrogen gas was sprayed on the distal 2 to 3 cm of the esophagus under direct visualization. RESULTS: Freezing of the esophageal mucosa was evidenced by the appearance of a white "cryoburn" with sharply demarcated margins. Hemicircumferential to circumferential freezing of the distal esophagus was achieved in 20 swine by varying the duration of cryoburn from 10 to 60 seconds. Mucosal ablation was noted 2 to 7 days after treatment in 95% of the swine. Complications included 3 esophageal strictures and 1 aspiration pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Cryotherapy performed by spraying liquid nitrogen at upper GI endoscopy is a simple technique capable of inducing controlled superficial mucosal necrosis with complete healing in the esophagus. This method warrants further evaluation as a treatment for esophageal lesions including Barrett's esophagus.

An epizootic of lymphoplasmacytic gastritis attributed to Helicobacter pylori infection in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

An epizootic of subclinical lymphoplasmacytic gastritis occurred in cynomolgus monkeys maintained at our research facility. Gastric pathology data and histologic sections of 63 adolescent monkeys (2.5-3.5 years old) sacrificed during the epizootic were reviewed. Localized to multifocal reddening of the gastric mucosa was noted grossly in 7 of 44 (16%) monkeys harboring Helicobacter pylori, but not in any of 19 monkeys in which these bacteria were not seen. Gastritis, characterized by accentuation of lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates in antral and to a lesser degree cardiac mucosa, occurred in 42 of 63 (67%) monkeys evaluated and in 42 of 44 (93%) monkeys in which H. pylori was observed microscopically. Two monkeys with H. pylori infection had infiltrate scores that overlapped with the upper limit of scores of H. pylori-negative animals. Coincident with accentuated infiltrates were gastric gland epithelial hyperplasia, reduction in mucin content of surface and gland epithelia, and comparatively minor infiltrates of neutrophils in superficial lamina propria and gastric glands. Antral mucosa thickness often exceeded 1.5 to 2 times normal. Antral mucosal erosions occurred in 7 of 44 (16%) monkeys with H. pylori. Argyrophilic bacteria morphologically consistent with H. pylori were present in antral and less commonly cardiac mucosal glands. Intensity of bacterial colonization correlated with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates (r = 0.754) and hyperplasia (r = 0.700), although responses were quite variable. These bacteria were not detected in fundic mucosa except in instances where parietal cells were substantially depleted in glands coincident with localized increases in lamina propria inflammatory cell infiltrates. Helicobacter heilmannii-like organisms (HHLOs) were present in fundic glands of all 63 monkeys; colonization was often pronounced. Scores for fundic mucosal inflammation did not correlate with presence or intensity of colonization with HHLOs (r = 0.005). Rather, fundic inflammation scores positively correlated with the antral inflammation scores (r = 0.548). Bacteria morphologically, biochemically, and genetically consistent with H. pylori were cultured from gastric mucosal specimens confirming bacterial identification. These findings demonstrate that adolescent cynomolgus monkeys are susceptible to natural infection with H. pylori and develop many morphologic hallmarks of H. pylori-related gastritis in humans.

Prophylactic effect of dietary zinc in a laboratory mouse model of swine dysentery.

Reduced prevalence of diarrhea and mortality has been reported after dietary supplementation with zinc compounds in swine with naturally acquired colibacillosis and those challenge-exposed with Serpulina hyodysenteriae; however, the usefulness of this approach for control of enteric diseases of swine remains to be determined. To examine the effect of dietary zinc-containing compounds on the colonization and development of cecal lesions associated with S hyodysenteriae infection, a defined diet alone or with added ZnO, ZnSO4, or Zn-methionine complex to a final concentration of approximately 6,000 mg of Zn2+/kg of complete feed was fed ad libitum to 156 female mice (strain C3H/HeN) for 10 days prior to oral inoculation either with S hyodysenteriae or sterile trypticase soy broth. Rations were continued for 42 days, while at weekly intervals, 3 mice/group were necropsied for determination of body weight, cecal weight, liver zinc concentration, presence of S hyodysenteriae in the cecum, and gross and histologic assessments of cecal lesions. From postinoculation day 0 to 42, the liver zinc concentration of mice fed the zinc-supplemented diets was approximately twice that of mice fed the basal diet, irrespective of the source of zinc. From postinoculation day 7 through 42, the overall recovery rate of S hyodysenteriae in infected mice fed the basal diet was 77.8%. In contrast, recovery rates of S hyodysenteriae from S hyodysenteriae-inoculated mice fed the zinc-supplemented diets were 0% for Zn-methionine and ZnO and 16.7% for ZnSO4. Mice fed the basal diet had significantly (P < 0.05) higher weight gain than mice fed the zinc-supplemented diets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Morphometric analysis of enteric lesions in C3H/HeN mice inoculated with Serpulina hyodysenteriae serotypes 2 and 4 with or without oral streptomycin pretreatment.

The segmental distribution and sequential progression and the role of the indigenous bacterial flora in the development of enteric lesions associated with Serpulina hyodysenteriae infection in laboratory mice have not been defined. We examined the distribution and sequential morphometric changes in the large intestine of mice orally inoculated with S. hyodysenteriae serotypes 2 and 4. To determine the role of colonization resistance conferred by the indigenous bacterial flora, 40 female C3H/HeN mice were administered water alone or water containing 5 mg/mL streptomycin sulfate ad libitum for seven days prior to orogastric inoculation either with S. hyodysenteriae or sterile trypticase soy broth (TSB). Clinical signs were monitored daily and three mice per group were necropsied on postinoculation days (PID) 7 and 14 for pathological assessment of the cecum, proximal colon, transverse colon, and descending colon, and bacteriological culture of the cecum for S. hyodysenteriae. Weekly pooled fecal samples were collected from each group for determination of total numbers of anaerobe bacteria. Gross examination revealed soft fecal pellets on PID 7 and 14 and catarrhal typhlitis on PID 14, irrespective of streptomycin pretreatment. The recovery rates of S. hyodysenteriae from the ceca of serotype 2- and serotype 4-inoculated mice was 100 and 91.7%, respectively. Statistically significant differences in morphometric changes between TSB- and S. hyodysenteriae-inoculated mice were present on PID 7 and 14 and were restricted to the cecum. Although oral administration of streptomycin for seven days prior to S. hyodysenteriae inoculation resulted in a significant reduction in the numbers of fecal anaerobes, it did not affect the colonization, distribution, severity, or progression of cecal lesions.

Morphologic analysis of enteric lesions in conventional and streptomycin-treated inbred C3H/HeN mice infected with Serpulina (Treponema) hyodysenteriae.

Oral administration of streptomycin is known to enhance the susceptibility of mice to enteric pathogens by altering the indigenous flora. We examined the effect of oral streptomycin treatment on the susceptibility of inbred C3H/HeN mice to infection with Serpulina (Treponema) hyodysenteriae. A total of 56 mice were randomly divided into four groups (A-D) of 14 each. From days 0 to 7, mice in groups A and B received streptomycin in their drinking water and mice in groups C and D served as controls. On day 7, mice in groups A and C were inoculated intragastrically with S. hyodysenteriae serotype 4, strain A1, and groups B and D served as uninoculated controls and received sterile trypticase soy broth. Clinical signs were monitored daily and body weights were recorded weekly. Mice were euthanized and necropsied for bacteriologic and histopathologic examinations on day 7 (2/group) and on days 14, 21, 28, and 35 (3/group) of the experiment. Soft fecal pellets were noticed in infected groups (A and C), but no significant differences in body weights were observed between groups (P greater than 0.05). Macroscopic changes were noted only in infected groups (A and C) beginning on day 21 of the experiment and consisted of catarrhal typhlitis, cecal emptiness, and atrophy. Histologically, the cecum and colon of mice in groups A and C had goblet cell hyperplasia, which preceded crypt epithelial cell hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltrates, and focal necrosis of mucosal epithelium. S. hyodysenteriae was reisolated from 10 of 12 mice in each infected group (A and C) from day 14 (7th day postinoculation) through day 35 (28th day postinoculation).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)