Helicobacter pylori
hideHelicobacter pylori (pronounced /ˌhɛlɪkɵˈbæktər pɪˈlɔəraɪ/) is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium that inhabits various areas of the stomach and duodenum. It causes a chronic low-level inflammation of the stomach lining and is strongly linked to the development of duodenal and gastric ulcers and stomach cancer. Over 80% of individuals infected with the bacterium are asymptomatic.
The bacterium was initially named Campylobacter pyloridis, then renamed C. pylori to correct a Latin grammar error. When 16S rRNA gene sequencing and other research showed in 1989 that the bacterium did not belong in the genus Campylobacter, it was placed in its own genus, Helicobacter. The genus derived from the Ancient Greek hělix/έλιξ "spiral" or "coil". The specific epithet pylōri means "of the pylorus" or pyloric valve (the circular opening leading from the stomach into the duodenum), from the Ancient Greek word πυλωρός, which means gatekeeper.
More than 50% of the world's population harbour H. pylori in their upper gastrointestinal tract. Infection is more prevalent in developing countries, although incidence is decreasing in western countries. The route of transmission is unknown, although individuals become infected in childhood. H. pylori's helix shape (from which the generic name is derived) is thought to have evolved to penetrate the mucoid lining of the stomach.
For more information about Helicobacter pylori, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with helicobacter pylori
Is short-term Celecoxib intervention a effective method for preventing gastric carcinogenesis?
Oct 28, 2009 |
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Helicobacter pylori has been accepted as an important pathogen inducing gastric cancer. A research group from Taiwan investigated optimal intervention point of Celecoxib, to inhibit H. pylori-associated gastric carcinogenesis ...
Protein interaction network can respond Helicobacter pylori infection?
Oct 16, 2009 |
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Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) is a gram negative bacterium which infects about 50% of the world population. H pylori colonization causes a strong systemic immune response. Various tools have been employed to identify the rela ...
Important defense against stomach ulcer bacterium identified
Oct 13, 2009 |
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A special protein in the lining of the stomach has been shown to be an important part of the body's defense against the stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori in a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the Univer ...
Taking sharper aim at stomach ulcer bacteria
Sep 30, 2009 |
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Scientists are reporting discovery of a much sought after crack in the armor of a common microbe that infects the stomachs of one-sixth of the world's population, causing stomach ulcers and other diseases. They identified ...
Does Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy prevent gastric cancer?
Sep 25, 2009 |
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Although it has been demonstrated that Helicobacter pylori causes gastric cancer, it is still controversial that whether H. pylori eradication therapy is effective in primary prevention of gastric cancer. This is especially ...
Care-seeking behavior associated with 'upper-GI symptoms'
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Sep 08, 2009 |
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Patients with upper gastrointestinal (GI) complaints visit their general practitioner (GP) more often than patients with other conditions. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Family Practice found that people ...
Uncovering the secrets of ulcer-causing bacteria
Aug 12, 2009 |
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A team of researchers from Boston University, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently made a discovery that changes a long held paradigm about how bacteria move through soft ...
Insulin resistance linked to ulcer bacteria
Jul 21, 2009 |
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Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which can cause gastric ulcers, have been linked to type B insulin resistance syndrome in diabetics, researchers reported in the British medical journal The Lancet.
Peptic ulcer bacterium alters the body's defense system
Jun 29, 2009 |
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Helicobacter pylori survives in the body by manipulating important immune system cells. This is shown in a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The discovery may lead to new treatm ...
Simple measures may prevent transmission of stomach ulcer bacteria
Jun 24, 2009 |
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The stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori is not transmitted through drinking water as previously thought, but rather through vomit and possibly faeces. This is shown in a thesis at the Sahlgrenska Academ ...
Tummy troubles -- gastrin key in bacterial-induced stomach cancer
Jun 24, 2009 |
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Current research suggests that levels of gastrin play a key role in the development of Helicobacter-induced stomach cancer. The related report by Takaishi et al, "Gastrin is an essential cofactor for Helicobacter-associated gastric corpu ...
How to confirm the causes of iron deficiency anemia in young women
Jun 23, 2009 |
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Iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) is commonly seen in women aged ...
Gutsy germs succumb to baby broccoli (w/Videos)
Apr 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A small, pilot study in 50 people in Japan suggests that eating two and a half ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for two months may confer some protection against a rampant stomach bug that ...
Clinical trial backs use of special yogurt to fight stomach ulcer bacteria
Mar 22, 2009 |
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Results of the first human clinical studies confirm that a new yogurt fights the bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers with what researchers describe as almost vaccine-like effects, scientists in ...
The path to history is through the stomach
Biology /
Jan 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Helicobacter pylori can cause stomach ulcers and cancers. Over half of the world’s inhabitants carrys this bacterium, but different variants are present on different continents. Up to now, ...
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