What is Helicobacter pylori?
NewsHelicobacter pylori is a bacterium that lives in the stomach.
In 1982, scientistsRobin Warren and Barry Marshall suggested that the majority stomach ulcers and gastritis in humans are caused by infection with the microorganism H. pylori, and not by stress or spicy food, as previously assumed.
Barry Marshall deliberately drank the contents with a culture of the bacterium H. pylori, after which he developed gastritis. The bacterium was found in the gastric mucosa, and 10 days after infection, the scientist was found to have signs of gastritis and the presence of H. pylori.
- Thus, the experiment, put on itself, was the best proof of the correctness of the scientist.
- And in 2005, the discoverers of this medical significance, the bacteria Robin Warren and Barry Marshall, were awardedThe Nobel Prize in Medicine.
H. pylori is transmitted from person to person and causes chronic active gastritis in all infected individuals.
- Infection occurs mainly through the oral-fecal route (for example, dirty hands, contaminated food or water).
- This can lead to peptic ulcer disease, atrophic gastritis, stomach cancer, or MALT-lymphoma of the stomach.
- Elimination of H. pylori leads to the cure of gastritis, which is the basis for the prevention of long-term complications or relapses of the disease.
A distinctive feature of this bacterium is its ability to survive and multiply in an acidic environment, which is characteristic of the contents of the stomach.
- This is due to the secretion of urease by the bacterium — an enzyme that breaks down urea to form ammonia.
- Ammonia neutralizes the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and provides the bacteria with a local maintenance of a comfortable pH for it.
- At the same time , ammonia causes chemical irritation and inflammation, and subsequently the death of cells of the gastric mucosa.
Diagnostic tests are based on the detection of urease, including the 13C-urease respiratory test, which is recommended both for the detection of H. pylori and for monitoring the effectiveness of the treatment.
