Helicobacter heilmannii associated gastritis: Case report

Helicobacter heilmannii (Gastrospirillum hominis) is a small, gram-negative bacterium from Helicobacter family. Its incidence is significantly lower than for Helicobacter pylori and it accounts for about 1% of cases, mainly in countries with lower socioeconomic conditions. Helicobacter heilmannii may be a causative agent for gastritis, gastric ulcer but it can also trigger malignant diseases such as gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. This paper presents our first case of gastritis caused by Helicobacter heilmannii.

Characterization of a Culturable “Gastrospirillum hominis” (Helicobacter heilmannii) Strain Isolated from Human Gastric Mucosa

Spiral organisms were isolated from an antral gastric mucosal biopsy specimen from a dyspeptic patient with gastritis. Only corkscrew-shaped organisms resembling “Gastrospirillum hominis” (“Helicobacter heilmannii”) but noHelicobacter pylori-like organisms were seen in histological sections. H. pylori was not cultured from specimens from this patient. On the basis of biochemical reactions, morphology, ultrastructure, and 16S DNA sequencing, the isolated “G. hominis” was shown to be a trueHelicobacter sp. very similar to Helicobacter felis and the “Gastrospirillum” but was separate from H. pylori. “G. hominis” is a pleomorphic gram-negative cork-screw-shaped, motile rod with 3 to 8 coils and a wavelength of about 1 μm. In contrast toH. pylori, it has up to 14 sheathed flagellar uni- or bipolar fibrils but no periplasmic fibrils. “G. hominis” grows under microaerobic conditions at 36 and 41°C on 7% lysed, defibrinated horse blood agar plates within 3 to 7 days and can be subcultured under microaerobic but not under anaerobic conditions on media similar to those used for H. pylori and H. felis. The small translucent colonies were, in contrast to those of H. felis, indistinguishable from those of H. pylori. “G. hominis” is, like H. pylori and H. felis, motile, is oxidase, catalase, nitrite, nitrate, and urease positive, and produces alkaline phosphatase and arginine arylamidase. Like H. pylori and H. felis, it is sensitive to cephalothin (30-μg disc), resistant to nalidixic acid (30-μg disc), and sensitive to most other antibiotics. The 16S DNA sequence clusters “G. hominis” together with “Gastrospirillum,” H. felis,Helicobacter bizzozeronii, Helicobacter salmonii, Helicobacter nemestrinae, Helicobacter acinonychis, and H. pylori.