Abstracto
- Gastritis in dogs can be caused by several factors. The main triggers are systemic disease, diet, environmental influences, stress, and behavioral factors. Similar to the situation for humans, it has been proposed that Helicobacter spp. infections may play a role in gastritis and cancer in dogs. However, no clear association between Helicobacter spp. infections and gastric pathological conditions has been established. Most of the data implicating non-Helicobacter pylori as a cause of gastric pathological conditions in domestic animals has been obtained from experimentally infected mice or Mongolian gerbils. In contrast, investigations focused on natural infections have been unable to establish a positive correlation between Helicobacter spp. colonization and disease. It has been suggested that a high density of Helicobacter-like organisms could trigger clinical signs in dogs. Difficulty in evaluating the association between Helicobacter spp. and gastric conditions relates to the high prevalence of Helicobacter spp. in healthy dogs. Additionally, the pathogenic potential of various Helicobacter spp. in dogs has not been clearly determined.