Helicobacter pylori

Question 1

wha tis the biology of helicobacter pylori?

Answer 1

• Gram Negative Curved Gastric Bacilli with Flagella
• Microaerophilic growth
• Oxidase +
• Urease + (pink in urea)

Question 2

who is this?

Answer 2

H. pylori

Question 3

what is the pathogenesis of H. pylori?

Answer 3

• Crosses mucus layer in stomach with flagella and mucinase, adheres to intestinal epithelial cells.
• Mucinase breaks down mucus layers, thus the IEC are susceptible to acidic damage (gastic ulcers).
• Cytotoxin associated gene (cagA) disrupts actin arrangement and promotes colonization of crypts.
• IL-1 is constantly expressed by stressed IEC cells, which can lead to gastric cancer.​

Question 4

what does urease do?

Answer 4

Urease is able to break down urea to ammonia, which helps increase pH of the gastric microenvironments.

Question 5

what diseases does H. pylori cause?

Answer 5

Chronic Gastritis = WBC inflitrate of gastric mucosa

Gastric/Duodenal Ulcers

Gastric cancer

Question 6

what symptoms will be seen that is indicative of h. pylori?

Answer 6

• Nausea
• Bloating
• Pain in upper abdomen
• Heartburn
• Temporary relief after eating

Question 7

how do you diagnose H. pylori?

Answer 7

1. Breath test = detects ammonia production
2. Biopsy = required for microscopy
3. Elisa = Cag Antigens can be detected in stool

Question 8

what is the treatment for H. pylori?

Answer 8

Proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole)

Macrolides (clarithromycin)

B-lactam (amoxicillin)