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Terminology
Here is a selection of spelling variations used to find our site (taken from log files)
- helicobacter
- helico bacter pylori
- heliobacter pylori
- h.pylori
- h-pylori
- h pylori
- h pilori
- h. pilori
- hpylori
- h.pylori bacteria
- helicobactor pylori
- helicobacterpylori
- helicobacter pilory
- h. pilori
- h-pyloric
- h. pyloric
- h pyloric
- helicobakter pylori
- helicopacter
- pylori bacteria
- hpilori
- h pylory
- h-pilory
- h pyloria
- hpylorie
- helicopter pylori
- h pylorie
- helibacter pylori
- h pylore
- h pylorus
- helikobakter pylori
- h-pylory
- h pyroli
Helicobacter Pylori
Helicobacter
pylori (commonly referred to as h. pylori)is a bacterium
that infects the mucus lining of the stomach. Many peptic ulcers and some
types of gastritis are caused by H. pylori infection, although most humans
who are infected will never develop symptoms. This bacterium lives in
the human stomach exclusively and is the only known organism that can
thrive in that highly acidic environment. It is helix-shaped (hence the
name helicobacter) and can literally screw itself into the stomach lining
to colonize.
H. Pylori infections
It is estimated that about two thirds of the world population are infected by helicobacter pylori. Actual infection rates vary - the Western/Developed nations have rates around 25% and less developed nations have much higher rates of infections. In the United States, infection is primarily in the older generations (about 50% for those over the age of 60 compared with 20% under 40 years) and the poorest. This is largely attributed to higher hygiene standards and widespread use of antibiotics. However, antibiotic resistance is appearing in H. pylori. There are already metronidazole resistant strains present in the UK population.
There is also evidence of a higher incidence of symptoms in people who eat spicy foods, apparently because of the effect these foods have on the stomach lining. When the protective lining is reduced from certain foods, h. pylori is better able to spiral into the stomach wall. This is one of the reasons that it was (and still is) commonly thought that spicy foods caused stomach ulcers. In actual fact, it is the h pylori that causes the stomach ulcers, but the spicy foods creates the conditions for h. pylori to cause problems.
In the absence of any treatments, H. pylori infection apparently persists for life; our immune systems are not able to eradicate it.
How does H Pylori cause stomach ulcers?
1. H. pylori penetrate the mucus layer of host stomach and adhere the
surface of gastric mucosal epithelial cells.
2. produce ammonia from urea by the urease, and the ammonia netralize
the gastric acid to escape from elimination.
3. prolifirate, migrate, and finally form the infectious focus.
4. The gastric ulcer is developed by destruction of mucosa, inflammation
and mucosal cell death.
Testing for Helicobacter Pylori
You can test for H. pylori infection with blood antibody or stool antigen tests, or with the carbon urea breath test (in which the patient drinks 14C- or 13C-labelled urea, which the bacterium metabolizes producing labelled carbon dioxide that can be detected in the breath), or endoscopy to provide a biopsy sample for testing for the presence of urease "rapid urease test", histology or microbial culture.
None of these test methods are completely failsafe. Blood antibody tests, for example, range from 76% to 84% sensitivity. Medication can affect H. pylori urease activity and give "false negatives" with the urea-based tests.
Find out about treatments for h pylori.