Gastric Infection with Kazachstania heterogenica Influences the Outcome of a Helicobacter suis Infection in Mongolian Gerbils

Background:  The Mongolian gerbil model is often used to investigate the interactions between different gastric Helicobacter species and the gastric tissue. A preliminary screening of a gerbil population intended for use in Helicobacter suis infection studies revealed a natural yeast infection in the stomach of these animals. After identification, we have investigated the effect of the gastric yeast infection on the outcome of an experimental H. suis infection in Mongolian gerbils.
Materials and methods:  Yeast cells were isolated from the stomachs of Mongolian gerbils. Identification was done by Internally Transcribed rRNA Spacer 2 Region PCR fragment length analysis. To investigate a possible pathologic role of this yeast, Mongolian gerbils were infected experimentally with this yeast. Co-infection with the newly isolated H. suis was performed to investigate possible interactions between both micro-organisms.
Results:  Kazachstania heterogenica was found colonizing the stomach of Mongolian gerbils, mainly in the antrum. Few pathologic changes were seen in the stomachs of infected animals. Experimental co-infection of gerbils with this yeast and the newly isolated H. suis showed a significant increase in inflammation in animals infected with both micro-organisms compared to animals infected only with H. suis .
Conclusions:  K. heterogenica colonizes the stomach of Mongolian gerbils in exactly the same regions as gastric Helicobacter species. The uncontrolled presence of this yeast in the gerbil stomach can lead to an overestimation of the inflammation caused by Helicobacter in this animal model.