Helicobacter pylori

  • Organism: Helicobacter pylori (Formerly known as Campylobacter pylori)
  • Organism type: Bacteria
  • Discovered by: Warren & Marshall (1983)
  • Host:Human
  • Ecological niche (in human): Stomach (gastric epithelium/Mucous layer)
  • Unique feature: Survival in the harsh acidic conditions (pH < 2) of the stomach
  • Infection rate: 
    • ≈ 50% human population (globally) 
    • Incident rates vary in different regions of the world
  • Pathogenicity: Pathogenic
  • Diseases (In host – Human): 
    • Asymptomatic (most of the infected population)
    • Chronic gastritis
    • Peptic ulcers
    • Gastric cancer (adenocarcinoma)
    • Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma
  • Transmission mode: 
    • Exact mode of transmission is not known (Predicted)
    • fecal-oral or oral-oral route 
    • Poor hygiene and crowded conditions

 

FEATURES

  • Gram staining: Gram-negative
  • Shape: Spiral-shaped
  • Size: ≈ 3 µm long
  • Culture environment:Microaerophilic
  • ≈ 50% of the world’s population is infected with Helicobacter pylori. Only a minority of the infected population can develop diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric cancer (adenocarcinoma), and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma
  • It usually colonizes the human gastric (stomach) epithelium luminal surface

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