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Case Reports
. 2025 Apr;44(4):939-949.
doi: 10.1007/s10096-025-05045-4. Epub 2025 Feb 11.

The first two human infections with Helicobacter zhangjianzhongii, a new Helicobacter closely related to Helicobacter canis

Sahel Wandji #  1 , Quentin Jehanne #  2 , Lucie Bénéjat  2 , Astrid Ducournau  2 , Johanna Aptel  2 , Marion Levast  3 , Marine Jauvain  2   4 , Philippe Lehours  5   6
Affiliations
Case Reports

The first two human infections with Helicobacter zhangjianzhongii, a new Helicobacter closely related to Helicobacter canis

Sahel Wandji et al. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: In 2023, Helicobacter zhangjianzhongii was proposed as a new species in the Helicobacter genus. We here describe two human cases of H. zhangjianzhongii bacteremia.

Methods: Four clinical strains from the Helicobacter genus isolated from blood culture between 2017 and 2023 were studied. They were initially identified as H. canis by MALDI-TOF and 16S rDNA sequencing. The strains were biochemically characterized and tested at different temperatures and atmospheres. Two databases were used to characterize the isolates: the Bruker® MBT compass Version 4.1.1 database and a in-house spectrum-enriched database. After bacterial DNA extraction the genomes were sequenced on NovaSeq 6000 (Illumina) and analyzed using an in-house pipeline.

Results: Case 1 involved a 58-year-old woman who was hospitalized in a thoracic oncology unit because her general condition deteriorated in a setting of small-cell carcinoma. She presented with abdominal pain associated with significant hepatomegaly. Case 2 involved a 78-year-old woman on rituximab who was hospitalized to treat chest pain, anemia, and inflammatory syndrome. Both strains exhibited very similar microbiological and genomic characteristics, thus growth in a microaerobic atmosphere at 37°C and 42°C, oxidase-positivity, and urease- and catalase-negativity. Both were formally identified by whole-genome sequencing as H. zhangjianzhongii (ANI > 99% and DDH > 94%).

Conclusion: This proposed species is associated with bacteremia in humans. It is thus likely to be a novel human pathogen. Dogs may have been the source of infection.

Keywords: Helicobacter; MALDI-TOF; NGS; New species; Zoonosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Human ethics and consent to participate: All diagnostic methods were routine. As the strains were sent to the NRCCH for research purposes, there was no need for ethical approval or informed patient consent. The need for scrutiny by an ethics committee was deemed unnecessary because the scientific mission of the national reference center is mandated by Santé Publique France ( www.spf ). All information that could possibly identify patients was removed. Consent for publication: Not applicable.

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