A Brief Note On Helicobacter Pylori - 1355 Words

HELICOBACTER PYLORI Helicobacter pylori have been implicated in cases of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer diseases( includes duodenal and gastric ulcers). Even though these diseases were linked to stress factors, in 1983, Australian microbiologists Warren and Marshall proved that gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases were infectious diseases caused by a bacterium (1). This bacterium has also been linked to gastric carcinoma and Mucosa associated lymphocyte (MALT) lymphoma (2) This organism was formerly classified under the genus Campylobacter because scientists found a campylobacter-like bacterium in the gastric mucus of patients with chronic gastritis. It was thus formerly called Campylobacter pylori, however, further study of the organism at genetic level by analyzing a sequence of the 16s rRNA gene necessitated the formation of a new genus, hence the name Helicobacter pylori (3). Helicobacter pylori is a Gram negative spiral shaped microaerophilic rod (4). The term microaerophilic means that the organism requires small amounts of oxygen to survive. It is also a rapidly motile organism due to the multiple polar flagella (4). The bacterium is approximately 3Â µm long and 0.5Â µm in diameter. The organism has 4-7 polar sheathed flagella which helps it to move in the gastric mucus in the stomach (3). It is also a fastidious organism. This means that it requires special nutrients to grow. The common media for isolation include Skirrow’s medium with vancomycin, polymixin B,