Introduction
Helicobacter is a term for a type of spiral shaped bacteria that can live in the stomach and lower GI tract. These bacteria have a special outer coating that protects them from the inhospitable conditions of the digestive track. Once inside the stomach or lower GI tract, the bacteria use their spiral shape to bore into the surrounding tissues. This behavior can cause lesions and ulcers to develop, and the result can be gastritis type symptoms. Cats that are infected with different types of Helicobacter bacteria may show subtle symptoms or no symptoms at all.
While Helicobacter infection in cats is rare, two of the most common diagnosed types of Helicobacter in cats are the Helicobacter pylori and the different types of bacteria under the group name Helicobacter felis. Cats that have been documented carriers of these bacteria often have no symptoms at all. Some cases have reported that lesions were found inside the cats’ stomach and intestines, and yet they still displayed no symptoms.
Symptoms of Helicobacter Infection
When a Helicobacter infection does cause symptoms in cats, the most common symptoms are occasional vomiting and weight loss. In severe cases, cats can develop chronic vomiting, occasional bouts of diarrhea, and severe weight loss. It is not understood why some cats show symptoms of Helicobacter infection and why other cats are completely unaffected by the bacteria.
Helicobacter infection is not easy to diagnose, and, in many cases when cats have unexplained periodic vomiting, treatments for helicobacter are begun even if the bacteria have not been diagnosed in the cat. There are a variety of treatments that can help to treat helicobacter infection in cats. However totally eliminating the population of bacteria is quite difficult.