Helicobacter infection in cheetAHS (Acinonyx jubatus)

Introduction: Worldwide, the majority of captive cheetahs develop a progressive Helicobacter-associated chronic gastritis causing vomiting, weight loss and failure to thrive. We describe two cases of gastric Helicobacter-like organisms (GHLOs) associated with gastritis with gastro-oesophageal reflux in cheetahs, with intestinal-type columnar metaplasia of the pre-cardial oesophageal mucosa. Materials and Methods: A chronic diffuse gastritis and reflux oesophagitis from cardial incompetence was diagnosed endoscopically in two cheetahs, a 7-year-old male and a 4-year-old female, with a long history of recurrent vomiting and dysphagia, maintained in an Italian Zoo. For histological analysis, biopsy samples were processed routinely and sections stained with HE, Alcian blue–PAS (pH 2.5) and Giemsa. Inflammatory infiltrates and GHLOs were characterized by immunohistochemistry. Results: GHLO-related gastritis, with florid infiltrates of CD3+/CD4+/CD25-/Foxp3- T cells and CD79a+/CD21+ B cells, and with CD3+/CD8+ T cells within the glandular epithelium was diagnosed in both cheetahs. Chronic oesophagitis was also observed in both animals and, in oesophageal biopsy samples from the male animal, there was intestinal metaplasia with columnar and goblet cell rich epithelium, heavily colonized by GHLOs. Conclusions: In captive cheetahs, the most common causative agent of chronic gastritis is represented by Helicobacter spp. infection. Although there are many descriptions of GHLOs-related gastritis in cheetahs, there are no reports on the potential impacts that this chronic condition and recurrent vomiting can have on the oesophageal mucosa. We describe two cases of GERD in cheetahs, differing in degree of severity, and with a case of intestinal-type columnar metaplasia of the pre-cardial oesophageal mucosa, associated with GHLOs colonization. This condition, known also as Barrett’s oesophagus, is one of the possible complications of reflux oesophagitis in man, but is reported rarely in animals and, until now, undescribed in cheetahs.