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H Pylori BacteriaH pylori bacteria live in the lining of stomach of approximately two thirds of the world's population 1. They are Gram-negative bacteria which simply means they don't retain the dye in their cell walls in one of the tests scientists use to identify bacteria. More importantly, Gram-negative bacteria often cause inflammation. H pylori causes stomach ulcers in some people and is suspected of occasionally causing stomach cancers. Mankind (and most of our primate relatives) have carried this bacteria in our stomachs for most of our existence and usually we rub along together without any problems. They have flagella which are whip-like tails which propel them forward (the same way sperm move) and makes them very mobile. Their spiral shape also assists their ability to burrow into the lining of the stomach. The helicobacter pylori bacteria is microaerophilic which means it needs oxygen but it needs it at a lower rate than is found in the atmosphere. There are over 500 different strains of the h pylori bacteria 2with different strains being more common in people from different parts of the world. This bacterium can cause infections in the human stomach that can last for decades. An infected person may have an estimated 104 to 107 H pylori colony forming units per gram of gastric mucus.3 Some strains have what is called the cag pathogenicity island and this leads to more severe stomach injury.5 Cause of h pyloriIt is believed that h pylori bacteria have been with mankind since our very earliest days and h pylori antigens have been found in the feces of South American mummies dating back 1700 years.4 It is thought to enter our bodies through our mouth and sets up home in the stomach. The acidity of our gastric juices usually makes this a fairly hostile place for most bacteria but Helicobacter pylori is able to make a low acid buffer zone around itself. By the age of 10 years, more than 80% of children in developing countries will be carrying this bacteria in their stomach.3 There are a number of different strains of the helicobacter pylori bacteria and it is the interaction between the different stains and each individual's immune system that makes for such a wide difference in symptoms. Whilst many of us carry h pylori bacteria in our stomach, in only a few people does it cause problems or show symptoms. REFERENCES 1. Garza-Gonzalez E, Bocanegra-Garcia V, Bosques-Padilla FJ, Flores-Gutierrez JP, Moreno F, Perez-Perez GI. mRNA levels of TLR4 and TLR5 are independent of H pylori. World J Gastroenterol. 2008 Sep 14;14(34):5306-10. 2. Dangeruta Kersulyte, Asish K. Mukhopadhyay, Billie Velapatiño, WanWen Su, ZhiJun Pan, Claudia Garcia, Virginia Hernandez, Yanet Valdez, Rajesh S. Mistry, Robert H. Gilman, Yuan Yuan, Hua Gao, Teresa Alarcón, Manuel López-Brea, G. Balakrish Nair, Abhijit Chowdhury, Simanti Datta, Mutsunori Shirai, Teruko Nakazawa, Reidwaan Ally, Isidore Segal, Benjamin C. Y. Wong, S. K. Lam, Farzad O. Olfat, Thomas Borén, Lars Engstrand, Olga Torres, Roberto Schneider, Julian E. Thomas, Steven Czinn, and Douglas E. Berg. Differences in Genotypes of Helicobacter pylori from Different Human Populations. J Bacteriol. 2000 June; 182(11): 3210?3218. 3. Blaser MJ. Helicobacters are indigenous to the human stomach: duodenal ulceration is due to changes in gastric microecology in the modern era. Gut 1998;43:721?727. 4. Correa P, Willis D, Allison MJ, et al. Helicobacter pylori in pre-Columbian mummies. Gastroenterology 1998;114(suppl 4):A956. 5. Peek RM Jr, Crabtree JE. Helicobacter infection and gastric neoplasia. J Pathol. 2006 Jan;208(2):233-48 Looking for info on probiotics? |
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The information presented here is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or medical professional. |
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