Transfer of Campylobacter pylori and Campylobacter mustelae to Helicobacter gen. nov. as Helicobacter pylori comb. nov. and Helicobacter mustelae comb. nov., Respectively

Different types of studies have shown that Campylobacter pylori does not belong in the genus Campylobacter. Ribonucleic acid sequencing has indicated that C. pylori might belong in the genus Wolinella, but we describe five major groups of taxonomic features of the genus Wolinella that differ markedly from those of C. pylori, including ultrastructure and morphology, cellular fatty acids, menaquinones, growth characteristics, and enzyme capabilities, indicating that C. pylori should not be included in the genus Wolinella. Thus, we propose the establishment of a new genus, Helicobacter, C. pylori should be transferred to this genus as Helicobacter pylori comb, nov., and H. pylori NCTC 11637 (= ATCC 43504) is the type strain. The gastric spiral organism from ferrets has been elevated recently from Campylobacter pylori subsp. mustelae to Campylobacter mustelae. We describe the similarities and differences between C. mustelae and C. pylori compared with other campylobacters, and we propose that C. mustelae should be included in the new genus Helicobacter as Helicobacter mustelae comb. nov. (type strain, ATCC 43772).