PREVALÊNCIA DE Helicobacter spp. EM CÃES DE CAMPO GRANDE-MS

Helicobacter spp. is a spiral Gram-negative bacterium that has substantial clinical importance. It has been related to diseases such as gastritis and peptic ulcers, and more recently to gastric cancer in humans.  Evidence suggests the potential of animals, particularly domestic ones, as the source of zoonotic infection of helicobacteria since bacteria with similar morphology to those found in animals were observed in the stomach of humans with gastritis. Thus, dogs have been identified to serve as an important host for infectious agents such as Helicobacter spp. From this perspective, the present study aimed to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter spp. in dogs from the Zoonosis Control Center of Campo Grande-MS. Samples of body, fundus, and gastric antrum from 96 dogs were collected to evaluate the presence of Helicobacter spp. through the rapid urease test and histological analysis. Helicobacter spp. was found in 94.7% of the dogs by rapid urease test and in 100% by histological analysis, with bacteria predominance in the stomach fundus region. Keywords: dogs; Helicobacter ; urease test.