Helicobacter spp. and gastric lesions association in minipigs

Due to their similarity to humans, studies regarding gastric ulcers in pigs have become of great interest. It is known that Helicobacter spp. is related to the occurrence of these ulcers, as they possess a high prevalence in pigs. This study aimed to associate gastric lesions findings naturally occurring in minipigs related to or not related to the presence of Helicobacter spp., through the ultra-rapid urease test and immunohistochemical analysis, reaffirming the disease in swine as a natural biomedical model for human cases. For this, samples of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded gastric tissues from 40 minipigs were obtained at the Laboratório de Morfologia e Patologia Animal (LMPA) in the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense (UENF). Regarding the ultra-rapid urease test, no animal was positive in all regions. However, 18 were positive in at least one: six (15%) were positive in the aglandular region, eight (20%) in the antrum region, 13 (32.5%) in the region of the cardiac gland, and one (2.5%) in the region of the fundic gland. Regarding immunohistochemical analysis, only one animal was positive in all regions, and 32 animals were positive in at least one: four (10%) were positive in the aglandular region, 10 (25%) in the antrum region, 23 (57.5%) in the region of the cardiac gland, and three (7.5%) in the region of the fundic gland. The gastric lesion findings showed a close relationship with Helicobacter spp., enriching the laboratory animal pathologies list. The immunostaining of the bacteria not associated with gastric lesions in certain regions demonstrated the saprophytic and opportunisitic nature of Helicobacter. RESUMO: Por sua semelhança com a da espécie humana, a úlcera gástrica nos suínos tem despertado muito interesse. Sabe-se que o Helicobacter spp. está relacionado à ocorrência dessas úlceras, apresentando alta prevalência. Este estudo teve como objetivo associar as lesões gástricas, de ocorrência natural em miniporcos, à presença, ou não, de Helicobacter spp., por meio do teste ultra-rápido da urease e da análise imunohistoquímica, reafirmando a enfermidade em suínos como modelo biomédico natural para os casos em humanos. Para este fim, foram utilizados histossetes de tecido gástrico de 40 minipigs obtidos no Laboratório de Morfologia e Patologia Animal (LMPA) da Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense (UENF). Em relação ao teste ultra-rápido da urease, nenhum animal foi positivo em todas as regiões, entretanto, 18 foram positivos e