An atypical presentation of an acute gastric Helicobacter felis infection

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram negative bacterium that has been associated with a wide variety of gastric pathologies in humans. Besides this well studied gastric pathogen, other Helicobacter spp. have been detected in a minority of patients with gastric disease. These species, also referred to as "H. heilmanii sensu lato" or "non Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter spp. (NHPH)", have a very fastidious nature which makes their in vitro isolation difficult. This group compromises several different Helicobacter species which naturally colonize the stomach of animals. In this article we present a case of a patient with severe gastritis in which H. felis was identified. The necrotic lesions observed at gastroscopy differ from the less active and less severe lesions generally associated with NHPH infections in human patients. The patient was successfully treated with a combination of amoxicillin, clarithromycin and pantoprazole. Infections with NHPH should be included in the differential diagnosis of gastritis when anatomopathological findings show an atypically shaped helicobacter.