Helicobacter pylori, formerly known as Campylobacter pylori, is a common gram-negative bacteria found in the upper digestive system that can cause ulcers and stomach cancer. It can be diagnosed through noninvasive or invasive tests and treated with antibiotics. The spread of the bacteria is still being studied, but careful hygiene practices may help prevent its transmission.
Campylobacter pylori is the former name of Helicobacter pylori, a type of spiral-shaped gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria are found quite commonly in the upper digestive system, especially in adults. Many times the bacteria cause no symptoms, but sometimes they can cause illness, such as ulcers and stomach cancer. Infection with the bacteria can be treated, but experts are still studying whether and how to prevent its spread.
When first discovered, the bacterium was thought to be part of the genus Campylobacter, related to bacteria such as Campylobacter jejuni. Further research in the late 1980s, however, revealed that the Campylobacter pylori bacterium had properties that made it different enough to be classified on its own, hence the name change to Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori. The two names are still used interchangeably, as each refers to the same organism.
Although officially discovered and named in the early 1980s, Campylobacter pylori had been under study since the 1890s. Even then, scientists believed the organism could play a role in stomach problems, as it was often found in the gastric juices of individuals experiencing various stomach symptoms. Today, several studies have shown that H. pylori is present in the stomachs of at least half of the world’s population and up to 80% of people with stomach ulcers. Symptoms usually only occur in a small number of infected people and can include heartburn, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms are often due to bacteria causing irritation and inflammation in the stomach lining and upper intestine, which can go on to cause ulcers, gastritis and, over longer periods of time, stomach cancer.
To diagnose an H. pylori infection, several tests can be used. Noninvasive tests may include blood, breath, and stool tests to look for signs of infection. These tests may not be able to actually look for the bacteria themselves. A more invasive test in which a tube is inserted down the throat and stomach, however, can typically take samples of the stomach lining to actually look for active H. pylori bacteria.
H. pylori infection can often be treated with antibiotics. Once the bacteria are killed, the body can often heal the damage on its own, but additional medication is needed in many cases. This is especially true in the case of stomach cancer, where killing the bacteria with antibiotics alone is not curative.
Experts are still studying whether and how the bacteria spread. Early studies of Campylobacter pylori showed some evidence that it could be spread by the fecal-oral route. Infections appeared to be more numerous in places where living conditions made contamination of food and water with faecal material more common. More recent studies on the current Helicobacter pylori have shown similar results. While not conclusive, some healthcare professionals use these studies as evidence to recommend careful hygiene practices as a possible preventative tool for this and other infections that are spread by the fecal-oral route.
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