Identification of Mucosa-Invading and Intravascular Bacteria in Feline Small Intestinal Lymphoma. (March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hoehne, S. N.; McDonough, S. P.; Rishniw, M.; Simpson, K. W.
• Is Part Of: Veterinary pathology. Volume 54:Number 2(2017:Mar.)
• Page Start: 234
• Page End: 241
• Publication Date: 2017-03
• Subjects: lymphoma -- inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) -- lymphoplasmacytic enteritis -- cats -- fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) -- microbiome -- intestine -- invasive bacteria -- chronic inflammation -- tumorigenesis; Veterinary pathology -- Periodicals; Pathology, Veterinary -- Periodicals; 636.089607
• DOI: 10.1177/0300985816664792
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0300-9858

Abstract

Persistent bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal mucosa are causally linked to gastric carcinoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in people and laboratory animals. We examined the relationship of mucosa-associated bacteria to alimentary lymphoma in cats. Intestinal biopsies from 50 cats with alimentary lymphoma (small cell, n = 33; large cell, n = 17) and 38 controls without lymphoma (normal to minimal change on histopathology, n = 18; lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis, n = 20) were evaluated. The number and spatial distribution of bacteria (ie, in luminal cellular debris, villus-associated mucus, adherent to epithelium, mucosal invasion, intravascular, or serosal) were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization with the eubacterial probe EUB-338. Mucosa-invasive bacteria were more frequently observed in cats with large cell lymphoma (82%, P ≤ .001) than in cats with small cell lymphoma (18%), normal to minimal change on histopathology, and lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis (3%). Intravascular bacteria were observed solely in large cell lymphoma (29%), and serosal colonization was more common in cats with large cell lymphoma (57%) than with small cell lymphoma (11%, P ≤ .01), normal to minimal change (8%, P ≤ .01), and lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis (6%, P ≤ .001). The high frequency of invasive bacteria within blood vessels and serosa of cats with large cell lymphoma may account for the sepsis-related complications associated with large cell lymphoma and inform clinical management. Further studies are required to determine the role of intramucosal bacteria in the etiopathogenesis of feline alimentary lymphoma.