It’s a spiral/helical/curved Gram negative bacterium that’s motile with a tuft of polar flagella. It’s strongly urease positive and also oxidase and catalase positive. It has a predilection for the gastric mucus glands.
Urease helps with invasion by neutralizing the acidic pH in the stomach, which allows the organism to survive. It also breaks down the stomach’s protective mucus layer, which predisposes to peptic ulcer disease.
All patients with peptic ulcer disease must be screened for H.pylori. Common tests include:
H.pylori has also been associated with chronic gastritis and MALT lymphomas (mucosa associated lymphoid tissue) and gastrointestinal B cell lymphomas. Interestingly, both peptic ulcer disease and MALT lymphomas are cured once H. pylori is eradicated from the body.
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