Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Helicobacter pylori found in bile of cats with liver disease
By Boomkens, Sacha Y et al.·Published in FEMS immunology and medical microbiology·2004·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Detection of Helicobacter pylori in bile of cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with lymphocytic cholangitis (a liver disease) had bile samples tested for a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which is known to affect humans. Out of 15 cats with this liver condition, 4 tested positive for the bacteria, compared to 8 out of 51 cats without the condition. This suggests that Helicobacter pylori might play a role in causing liver issues in cats and could potentially be passed to humans. Further research is needed to understand the connection and implications for both cats and their owners.
People also search for: cat liver disease symptoms · Helicobacter pylori in cats · lymphocytic cholangitis treatment · cat bile test results
Abstract
Lymphocytic cholangitis (LC) in cats is a biliary disease of unknown etiology. Helicobacter spp. were recently implicated in human primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Because of the similarities between PSC/PBC with LC, we hypothesized that Helicobacter spp. are involved in feline LC. A PCR with Helicobacter genus-specific 16S rRNA primers was performed on DNA isolated from feline bile samples. Four of the 15 (26%) LC samples were positive, whereas only 8/51 (16%) of non-LC samples were PCR positive (p=0.44). Sequence analysis of the amplicons revealed a 100% identity with the Helicobacter pylori specific DNA fragments. Our data suggest an etiological role of H. pylori in feline LC and that cats are a potential zoonotic reservoir.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15477044/