Helicobacter heilmannii

Test code: B0023 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of Helicobacter heilmannii by real time polymerase chain reaction

Helicobacter heilmannii (previously known as Gastrospirillum hominis) is a 4-10 µm long, spiral-shaped, motile bacterium with three to eight coils, a wavelength of about 1 µm, up to 14 uni- or bipolar flagella, and no periplasmic filaments. Gastric infection with Helicobacter heilmannii is associated with the development of chronic gastritis (found in the stomachs of 0.2 to 4% of patients with gastritis) and low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma in humans. Eradication of H. heilmannii by antibiotic treatment of patients can result in complete remission of MALT lymphoma, indicating a causal relationship between H. heilmannii infection and MALT lymphoma. Unlike H. pylori infections, gastric infections with H. heilmannii or Gastrospirillum-like organisms are not restricted to humans. A broad range of animals, including dogs, cats, pigs, and cattle, are naturally infected, with frequencies ranging from 80% to 100%. It has been suggested that H. heilmannii infection in humans is a zoonosis and that animals serve as a reservoir for transmission to humans.

Definitive culture of H. heilmannii has not been achieved to date (Anderson et al., 1996) and diagnosis of H. heilmannii infection is usually made on the basis of its distinct spiral morphology, compared with H. pylori, on silver- stained tissue sections. However, there are a number large gastric spiral organisms such as H. felis, H. salomonis, and H. bizzozeronii are indistinguishable from H. heilmannii on routine light microscopy, and H. pylori grown in a broth culture can also adopt a morphology identical to that of H. heilmannii (Fawcett et al., 1999). Molecular detection methods, such as PCR, are always required for more definitive identification (Trebesius et al., 2001).

Utilities:

• Confirm the disease causing agent
• Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical diagnosis of H. heilmannii infection
• Ensure that animal groups are free of H. heilmannii
• Early prevention of spread of this bacterium
• Minimize personnel exposure to this bacterium
• Safety monitoring of biological products and vaccines that derive from animals

References:
Andersen, L.P., Norgaard, A., Holck, S., Blom, J. and Elsborg, L. (1996) Isolation of a "Helicobacter heilmannii"-like organism from the human stomach. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 15:95-96.
Fawcett, P.T., Gibney, K.M. and Vinette, K.M. (1999) Helicobacter pylori can be induced to assume the morphology of Helicobacter heilmannii. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:1045-1048.
Trebesius, K., Adler, K., Vieth, M., Stolte, M. and Haas, R. (2001) Specific detection and prevalence of Helicobacter heilmannii-like organisms in the human gastric mucosa by fluorescent in situ hybridization and partial 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:1510-1516.

Specimen requirement: 1 ml gastric lavage or feces or tissue shipped overnight at room temperature; or tissue shipped frozen.

For specimen types other than those listed here, please call to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.

For all specimen types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See shipping instructions for more information.

Turnaround time: 2 business days

Methodology: Qualitative real time PCR

Normal range: Nondetected