Campylobacter pyloriin Relation to Other Aerobic and Anaerobic Microorganisms in Patients with Gastric Diseases

Adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to yeast cells

In order to get information as to whether direct interaction of H. pylori and yeasts may modulate the course of H. pylori infections, the adhesion of H. pylori to C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. guilliermondii, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis and S. cereviseae was investigated. H. pylori adhered significantly more frequently to C. tropicalis (adhesion ratio > 10%) than to the other yeasts (adhesion ratios < 5%). On an average, no significant difference to the adhesion ratios of E. coli and S. aureus was found. Electron microscopic examinations showed that H. pylori cells contacted the cells of C. tropicalis either by knob-like structures or by close surface-to-surface adhesion. Cholesterol-depleted H. pylori cells adhered to the yeast no more than cholesterol-carrying cells. There was no indication that a direct cooperation with yeasts plays a role in H. pylori infections.

Experimental Helicobacter pylori infection in association with other bacteria

We performed surgical treatment on normal ddY mice before Helicobacter pylori inoculation. The treatment was expected to obstruct bacterial flow out of the stomach and increase the chance of bacterial attachment to the gastric epithelium in mice. The bacterial challenge induced inflammation in the stomach. H. pylori was recovered from the stomach throughout the observation period. Lactobacilli and streptococci tended to relate to the increase in number of H. pylori recovered. Pretreatment with atropine was considered to confuse the gastric flora and affect the number of H. pylori recovered. These results suggested that a certain amount of time is necessary for H. pylori to contact with the gastric epithelium and that the composition of flora is important for the establishment of H. pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori infection and its role in human disease--an overview

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is probably the commonest chronic bacterial infection in humans. The bacterium colonizes the gastric epithelium and induces inflammation of the underlying mucosa. The recognition that this infection is the most important acquired factor in the pathogenesis of duodenal and gastric ulcers has transformed the management of these common disorders. Most patients with ulcers can be cured by a 1-week course of anti-H. pylori therapy, thereby removing the need for long-term acid inhibitory therapy. Eradication of the infection involves taking complex combinations of drugs and simpler eradication regimens are required. Recent epidemiological data indicate an association between H. pylori infection and the subsequent development of gastric carcinoma. If this association is established as causal, then widespread eradication of the infection may be indicated. Global eradication of H. pylori will probably rely on prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination and this approach is being actively investigated.