TITLE:
Helicobacter pylori and upper gastrointestinal diseases: A review
AUTHORS:
Bruna Maria Roesler, Elizabeth Maria Afonso Rabelo-Gonçalves, José Murilo Robilotta Zeitune
KEYWORDS:
Helicobacter Pylori; Gastritis; Peptic Ulcer Disease; MALT Lymphoma; Gastric Cancer
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.6 No.4,
February
19,
2014
ABSTRACT: Since its first
isolation by Marshall and Warren, Helicobacter
pylori (H. pylori) has been recognized
to have a causal role in the upper gastrointestinal diseases development,
especially in chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, mucosa-associated
lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) and gastric adenocarcinoma. H. pylori is a spiral-shaped
gram-negative flagellate bacterium that has a high genetic diversity, which is
an important factor in its adaptation to the host stomach and also for the
clinical outcome of the infection, an aspect that remains unclear. However, it
is thought to involve a interplay among the virulence of the infecting strain,
host genetics and environmental factors. This review chapter brings the
principal characteristics of the diseases associated with H. pylori infection and summarizes some important characteristics
concerning the virulence of bacterium strain, host genetics and external
environment.