Helicobacter Pylori Infection

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a human pathogen that is responsible for ulcers and stomach inflammation. The organism had been researched by several scientists around the world since 1875; however none of them was successfully culture it. Until 1982, Dr. Barry Marshall and Dr. Robin Warren succeeded in observing the colonies, and thus became the first scientists to discover this bacterium. By self-testing, Dr. Marshall drank a liquid that contained H. pylori culture. A few days later, he got sick with many symptoms such as vomiting and nausea. After ten days, by undergoing endoscopy, he was able to confirm the role of H. pylori in causing gastritis. Then he and Dr. Warren also demonstrated the effect of

patient tested positive for H. pylori and wakes up at night due to cramping pain with bloating, so it is assumed to be peptic ulcer and the status of his condition is uncontrolled. Her symptoms were not improved with over the counter medication, Tums. Therefore, it is not GRED. However, Patient does not need a referral for endoscopy this time around because she does not hat the symptoms vomiting, nausea or dizziness.

H. pylori thrives in the acidic environment of the stomach and the finding that this bacteria contributed to the condition was remarkable news and led to the standard practice of treating peptic ulcers with antibiotics. As a result, the rate of H. pylori-induced ulcers has dropped by more than 50 percent. (Ackerman, 2012)

It is always challenging to accurately diagnose abdominal pain in the primary care settings. An extensive knowledge of the anatomy and physiology could help narrow down possible causes of abdominal pain.

H. pylori is a narrow, curved, Gram-negative rod with polar flagella. It grows slowly in a microaerophilic atmosphere in a manner similar to Campylobacter. The bacteria have only recently be identified as the causative agent to gastric ulcers, a condition long believed to be the result of stress and lifestyle habits.

Helicobacter pylori weaken the gastric layer, predispose the stomach to infection which can lead to achlorhydria. “The classic symptoms of GERD are heartburn, acid regurgitation, dysphagia, and belching”( over time cause narrowing and strictures. A person can experience reflux one hour after eating high fatty undigested meals, smoking (nicotine) and alcohol drinking, sore throat and asthma. Pressure on the diaphragm from pregnancy and obesity in male and female increases intra-abdominal pressure exposing the individual to reflux and heartburn. GERD can occur in infants, elderly, and at any age in between. Patient can take antacid (Tums) to neutralize the acidity, H2 blocker (cimetidine, famotidine, or ranitidine) decrease acid production in the stomach and Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) inhibit acid production from gastric parietal cells. Others treatment, Endoscopy of esophagus or stomach, to obtain a biopsies for (precancerous cells), pH monitoring rule out H. pylori infection, looking for edema, erosion, and bleeding. If blood loss is low, replace with

These diseases are more common in affluent, Western countries, and are also seen in immigrants to these countries. According to the hygiene hypothesis, many childhood diseases can be attributed to too clean of an environment. (Neu, 2011). The human body is made up of 100 trillion cells. There are 10 times this many intestinal microorganisms. Estimations project that there are 100 times as many genes in aggregate of intestinal flora than there are in the human genome. These bacteria are basically like a vital organ when considering their metabolic function. Gut bacteria promote the intestinal mucosal immune system. Microorganisms and humans have developed a co-dependence. Microorganisms react to the drastically changing environment with increased inflammatory responses such as psychological stress, inappropriate diet (specifically the exponential increase of processed food), toxins, and cesarean delivery. The extent of chronic inflammatory disorders is potentially far larger than previously assumed including allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmunity, vascular disease, depression, anxiety, cancer, and possibly type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. Children delivered by CD have a much higher chance to have celiac disease and gastroenteritis. Gut bacteria police their environment with toll-like receptors and pattern recognition. Gut flora influences oral

The transmission of this infection is known to be passed from one individual to another by the faecal – oral route.

Hello Kelli, I enjoyed reading your post. You made some good points. I just want to add to what your mention about H. pylori being treated with two varieties of antibiotics the patient may also be given proton pump inhibitor, histamine receptor blocker, and protectants to help relieve pain. I think it is interesting o how the breath test is performed and thanks for sharing that information because it very helpful. It is also important that patient doesn’t eat or drink anything for a least 6 hours before the breath or stomach biopsy is performed. Other than those small adjustments that I wanted to add, I think you did a wonderful job.

Over half of human stomachs in the world are colonized by H. pylori. This bacterium is the culprit for almost 80% of all gastric adenocarcinoma cases and upwards of 90% of all duodenal peptic ulcer cases making it the second most common bacterial infection worldwide (6). Those colonized with H. pylori have a two to six times increased risk of forming gastric cancer or ulcers. Because of this, H. pylori has since been classified as a class I carcinogen. There are currently two completely sequenced genomes of H. pylori (strain 26695 and strain J99) which have been revolutionary in the research and understanding of its genetic diversity and pathogenic mechanisms. H. pylori are gram-negative, spiral shaped, adorned with three to five polar

Before knowing that the Helicobacter Pylori bacteria caused ulcers, people believed ulcers were known to be caused from stress. They refused to believe it was caused from anything else because they believed that no bacteria could thrive in the highly acidic environment of the stomach. There are links going back to 1940 by Dr. A. Stone Freedberg, who was a cardiologist at Harvard, but his boss pressured him to abandon his research and he favored him to do research in something that would be “easier to prove”. Many scientists gave up on this research is due to the overwhelming opposition from the wider scientific community.

Household pets can carry and transmit the bacteria to their owners. Campylobacteriosis usually occurs in single, sporadic cases, but it can also occur in outbreaks, when two or more people become ill from the same source. Most cases of campylobacteriosis are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry meat or from cross-contamination of other foods by these items. Outbreaks of Campylobacter have most often been associated with unpasteurized dairy products, contaminated water, poultry, and produce. Animals can also be infected, and some people get infected from contact with the stool of an ill dog or cat. The organism is not usually spread from one person to another, but this can happen if the infected person is producing a large volume of

Helicobacter pylori are a species of epsilon proteobacteria which colonizes the harsh environment of the human stomach. Its name refers to both its spiral shape (Helicobacter) and the area of the lower stomach which it habitually colonizes: the gateway (pylorus) between the stomach and small intestine (Meyers, 2007). This bacterium is thought to be present within up to 50% of the human population and has been linked to the development of a number of different medical conditions (Chalmers et al. 2004). This report will provide

pylori in a common infection, the host undergoes a period of rapid bacterial duplication and subsequent inflammation following colonization of the viscous mucus layer of the stomach. The penetration of the layer is assisted by the bacteria’s flagella and spiral morphology. The low oxygen level and neutral pH of the mucus act as a prime environment for the microaerophilic H. pylori. (Kusters, 2006) Preferably a lumenal pathogen, host cells are rarely invaded by the microbial. Associated with the inflammation is hypochlorhydria that can persist for months, during which the pathogen is released through fecal shedding in large amounts. After at least a few weeks, an immune response develops but it is not very effective in removing H. pylori. Eventually the inflammation subsides to a stable state and the infection becomes asymptomatic but may persist for decades. (Blaser,

Helicobacter pylori is structurally small, gram negative rods which is microaerophilic in nature and has capability of colonizing regularly in human stomach (Strausbaugh et al., 2002). Due to such colonizing capability, it is regarded as one of the most common bacterial pathogen present in almost 50% of the world’s population (Zhao et al., 2014) and the reason behind such well adaptation or enduring of H.pylori in the Human’s stomach is due to the combined effects of several factors that addresses different challenges or obstacles presented by the nasty environment inside the stomach (Montecucco and Rappuoli, 2001). Helicobacter pylori produce the urease that neutralize the gastric acid or shows the buffering effect around the surroundings within the stomach. Moreover, it has a capacity of crossing the thick mucus lining of the stomach easily and binding itself to the antigen known as Lewis antigen that are basically present in gastric cells and whose function is to secrete different factors associated with stimulating and attracting the inflammatory cells and Toxin VacA that performs the multiple functions and such activities of H.pylori is possible due to its helicoidal shape the mode of action of flagella present. Mainly, the presence of the cag pathogenicity island (Cag-PAI) which is a 40-kb DNA insertion elements containing 32 genes and encoding a type IV secretion system helps in the optimal fitness of the bacteria in the stomach and appearance of pathogenic traits.