There is little information concerning Helicobacter status in
noncommercial animal facilities. Data from Japan showed that 27
out of 47 (57.5%) sentinel mice obtained during 1998 and 1999
from universities, breeding companies, pharmaceutical companies,
and national research institutions were contaminated with
Helicobacter ). A Korean study revealed Helicobacter infection
in only one out of 24 mouse strains that were housed in SPF
facilities (29 ). A European study reported a prevalence of
Helicobacter infection of 88.9% (eight of nine strains) in mice
(25 ). Here, we found a comparable high prevalence rate of 87.5%
in mice reared in different caging systems in an SPF facility.
Interestingly, none of the mice in this study was infected by H.
bilis and only six animals harbored H. hepaticus . In earlier
studies H. bilis and H. hepaticus were identified as the most
common Helicobacter species in laboratory mice (27 ). This
observation led to the addition of H. bilis- and H. hepaticus
-specific PCR assays to the