Abstract
The mode of transmission of Helicobacter pylori is unknown. Since viable bacteria have been shown to be excreted in feces from infected individuals and houseflies habitually develop and feed on excrement, we hypothesized that flies ingest and harbor H. pylori and, in turn, contaminate the human environment. This study examined the possible vector potential of houseflies (Musca domestica) for H. pylori. Caged houseflies were exposed to freshly grown H. pylori on agar plates. After a 6-h feeding period, the plates were removed and were replaced with sterile petri dishes containing a droplet of sterile brucella broth. At regular intervals, small numbers of houseflies were removed for microbiological and histological analysis, and the petri dishes were replaced with fresh sterile plates with fresh drops of brucella broth. The flies' bodies, the flies' dissected alimentary tracts, and excreta on the petri dishes were cultured for H. pylori, whose identity was confirmed by the urease, catalase, and oxidase reactions and Gram staining. In contrast to control flies, viable H. pylori could be isolated from external surfaces for up to 12 h and from gut and excreta for as long as 30 h after the initial feeding period. After 30 h other gram-negative bacteria overgrew the cultures of samples from all locations tested, rendering the selective culture of H. pylori colonies impossible. Histological analysis revealed Helicobacter-like organisms in the gut lumen and attached to intestinal epithelial cells. We conclude that houseflies can harbor viable H. pylori on their bodies and in their intestinal tracts. They are also able to disseminate viable H. pylori in excreta, and they may therefore present a significant reservoir and be a vector in the transmission of H. pylori.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (540.4 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Axon A. T. Review article: is Helicobacter pylori transmitted by the gastro-oral route? Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1995 Dec;9(6):585–588. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.1995.tb00426.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bode G., Mauch F., Malfertheiner P. The coccoid forms of Helicobacter pylori. Criteria for their viability. Epidemiol Infect. 1993 Dec;111(3):483–490. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800057216. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fotedar R., Banerjee U., Singh S., Shriniwas, Verma A. K. The housefly (Musca domestica) as a carrier of pathogenic microorganisms in a hospital environment. J Hosp Infect. 1992 Mar;20(3):209–215. doi: 10.1016/0195-6701(92)90089-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fox J. G., Blanco M. C., Yan L., Shames B., Polidoro D., Dewhirst F. E., Paster B. J. Role of gastric pH in isolation of Helicobacter mustelae from the feces of ferrets. Gastroenterology. 1993 Jan;104(1):86–92. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(93)90839-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GREENBERG B. FLIES AND DISEASE. Sci Am. 1965 Jul;213:92–99. doi: 10.1038/scientificamerican0765-92. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hulten K., Han S. W., Enroth H., Klein P. D., Opekun A. R., Gilman R. H., Evans D. G., Engstrand L., Graham D. Y., El-Zaatari F. A. Helicobacter pylori in the drinking water in Peru. Gastroenterology. 1996 Apr;110(4):1031–1035. doi: 10.1053/gast.1996.v110.pm8612990. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kelly S. M., Pitcher M. C., Farmery S. M., Gibson G. R. Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from feces of patients with dyspepsia in the United Kingdom. Gastroenterology. 1994 Dec;107(6):1671–1674. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(94)90806-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mégraud F., Brassens-Rabbé M. P., Denis F., Belbouri A., Hoa D. Q. Seroepidemiology of Campylobacter pylori infection in various populations. J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Aug;27(8):1870–1873. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.8.1870-1873.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ramsey E. J., Carey K. V., Peterson W. L., Jackson J. J., Murphy F. K., Read N. W., Taylor K. B., Trier J. S., Fordtran J. S. Epidemic gastritis with hypochlorhydria. Gastroenterology. 1979 Jun;76(6):1449–1457. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Thomas J. E., Gibson G. R., Darboe M. K., Dale A., Weaver L. T. Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from human faeces. Lancet. 1992 Nov 14;340(8829):1194–1195. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)92894-l. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]