Boehnke Kevin F, Eaton Kathryn A, Valdivieso Manuel, Baker Laurence H, Xi Chuanwu
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Helicobacter. 2015 Oct;20(5):326-33. doi: 10.1111/hel.12216. Epub 2015 Feb 9.
Helicobacter pylori infection has been consistently associated with lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation, but no studies have demonstrated that the transmission of H. pylori can occur from drinking contaminated water. In this study, we used a laboratory mouse model to test whether waterborne H. pylori could cause gastric infection.
Groups of immunocompetent C57/BL6 Helicobacter-free mice were exposed to static concentrations (1.29 × 10(5), 10(6), 10(7), 10(8), and 10(9) CFU/L) of H. pylori in their drinking water for 4 weeks. One group of Helicobacter-free mice was exposed to uncontaminated water as a negative control. H. pylori morphology changes in water were examined using microscopy Live/Dead staining. Following exposure, H. pylori infection and inflammation status in the stomach were evaluated using quantitative culture, PCR, the rapid urease test, and histology.
None of the mice in the negative control or 10(5) groups were infected. One of 20 cages (one of 40 mice) of the 10(6) group, three of 19 cages (four of 38 mice) of the 10(7) CFU/L group, 19 of 20 cages (33 of 40 mice) of the 10(8) group, and 20 of 20 cages (39 of 40 mice) of the 10(9) CFU/L group were infected. Infected mice had significantly higher gastric inflammation than uninfected mice (27.86% higher inflammation, p < .0001).
We offer proof that H. pylori in water is infectious in mice, suggesting that humans drinking contaminated water may be at risk of contracting H. pylori infection. Much work needs to be performed to better understand the risk of infection from drinking H. pylori-contaminated water.
幽门螺杆菌感染一直与缺乏清洁水源和适当的卫生条件有关，但尚无研究表明饮用受污染的水会导致幽门螺杆菌传播。在本研究中，我们使用实验室小鼠模型来测试水源性幽门螺杆菌是否会引起胃部感染。
将具有免疫能力的无幽门螺杆菌C57/BL6小鼠分组，使其饮用含有不同静态浓度（1.29×10⁵、10⁶、10⁷、10⁸和10⁹CFU/L）幽门螺杆菌的水，持续4周。将一组无幽门螺杆菌小鼠暴露于未受污染的水中作为阴性对照。使用显微镜活/死染色检查水中幽门螺杆菌的形态变化。暴露后，通过定量培养、PCR、快速尿素酶试验和组织学评估胃部的幽门螺杆菌感染和炎症状态。
阴性对照组和10⁵组的小鼠均未感染。10⁶组的20个笼子中有1个（40只小鼠中的1只）、10⁷CFU/L组的19个笼子中有3个（38只小鼠中的4只）、10⁸组的20个笼子中有19个（40只小鼠中的33只）以及10⁹CFU/L组的20个笼子中有20个（40只小鼠中的39只）被感染。感染小鼠的胃部炎症明显高于未感染小鼠（炎症高27.86%，p <.0001）。
我们提供了证据表明水中的幽门螺杆菌对小鼠具有传染性，这表明饮用受污染水的人类可能有感染幽门螺杆菌的风险。需要开展更多工作以更好地了解饮用受幽门螺杆菌污染的水的感染风险。
