Indeed, the title of the 16S rRNA gene sequence information under the DDBJ/NCBI/EBI accession number M88138 (ATCC43879) is still ‘Helicobacter sp. “Flexispira taxon 8” 16S ribosomal RNA gene’. This information may be a cause of misunderstanding and the researcher should carefully read both the title and the annotated text. Other provisional names, “Helicobacter westmeadii” [14] and “Helicobacter sp. strain Mainz,” have been assigned to H. cinaedi [15]. H. cinaedi was first isolated from rectal swabs obtained from homosexual men with proctitis, proctocolitis, and enteritis [1], Selleck Raf inhibitor but the number of reports

of H. cinaedi infection has been steadily growing throughout the last two decades. Because early reports mainly described the isolation of these microorganisms from homosexual men or immunocompromised patients, and their presence was attributed to human immunodeficiency virus infection, agammaglobulinemia, or some other underlying disease [16], [17], [18], [19], [20] and [21], the organisms were thought to be related to specific hosts. Recently, however, given that increasing numbers

of infections have also been reported in immunocompetent patients [22], [23], [24] and [25], the patient group affected by H. cinaedi is larger than originally thought. In Japan, the first report describing the isolation of H. cinaedi was published in 2003 [26]. Since Resveratrol then, isolation of this microorganism MI-773 concentration has been reported in patients regardless of gender and within a wide age range, from newborns to the elderly, by many hospitals throughout the country. Matsumoto et al. [27] reported that the H. cinaedi positive rate in blood cultures was 0.06% (6/16,743 samples) of total blood samples and 0.22% (6/2718 samples)

of blood samples with any positive culture, based on a prospective multicenter analysis in 13 hospitals over 6 months in Tokyo. This microorganism is not a clinically scarcity. Indeed, we have encountered many cases of H. cinaedi cellulitis and bacteremia that occurred continuously in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent subjects in hospitals. Now, we recognize that this microorganism should be considered a causative agent of nosocomial infection [24], [28] and [29]. The association of this microorganism with a variety of human infections is receiving a growing amount of attention. H. cinaedi infection causes many kinds of symptoms including fever, abdominal pain, gastroenteritis, proctitis, diarrhea, erysipelas, cellulitis, arthritis, neonatal meningitis, and bacteremia [30]. Recently, a case of meningitis in a healthy adult and that of an axillobifemoral bypass graft infection in an immunocompetent patient were also reported [31] and [32]. Numerous reports have described bacteremia caused by H. cinaedi rather than by other Helicobacter species.