First report on the occurrence of 'Helicobacter heilmannii' in the stomach of rabbits.

Gastric Helicobacter spp. have been described in a wide range of animal species, including dogs, cats, primates, swine, cattle and rodents. However, in lagomorphs--more specifically rabbits--gastric Helicobacter infections have never been reported. Biopsy specimens were collected from different stomach regions of 23 rabbits, including 10 pet rabbits, 10 industrial animals and 3 research animals. These were subjected to a PCR assay for the detection of Helicobacter DNA. Identification up to the species level was based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis and a recently developed multiplex PCR. Seven rabbits (four pet, one research animal and two industrial animals) tested positive in the Helicobacter genus-specific PCR in the stomach, with the corpus being predominantly positive. H. felis and H. salomonis, hitherto presumed to be naturally hosted by cats and dogs, were detected in three animals and one animal, respectively. One of these animals had been completely devoid of any form of contact with cats or dogs. A H. pullorum/H. rappini-like organism (96% 16S rDNA sequence similarity) was found in an industrially held rabbit. The helicobacters of the two remaining rabbits could not be identified up to the species level. To conclude, this is the first report on the occurrence of Helicobacter spp. in the stomach of rabbits. In view of the fact that H. felis and H. salomonis are put forward as having zoonotic potential, further research is necessary to investigate the implications of these findings not only for the rabbit but also for human health.