Mouse models of Helicobacter-induced gastric cancer: use of cocarcinogens.

Abstract

The human pathogen Helicobacter pylori causes inflammation in the stomach of infected hosts, leading in some cases to the development of gastric cancer. Several mouse models have been developed to study Helicobacter-induced carcinogenesis with similarities to gastric adenocarcinoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALToma) in humans. These models require chronic infection of animals with mouse-colonizing isolates of H. pylori or with related gastric Helicobacter spp., such as the canine/feline species Helicobacter felis. Furthermore, consistent with the known influence of host and environmental factors in human gastric cancer, it is possible to manipulate the type and severity..