Jenny lauper

Important facts about the bacteria Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that may reside in the gastrointestinal tract. It is known to be a major cause of peptic ulcers and is a potential contributor to the development of stomach cancer.

External structure of Helicobacter pylori

The bacteria Helicobacter pylori belong to the phylum Proteobacteria. The structural features of the bacteria can be summarized in to the following points-

1. Helicobacter pylori are gram negative bacteria.
2. They are around three micrometers long with a diameter of around 0.5 micrometer.
3. They are spiral in shape.
4. They bacteria cells of Helicobacter pylori have flagella and therefore they are motile by nature.
5. The bacteria cell is microaerophilic in nature and therefore needs oxygen although at a lower concentration.
6. The outer wall of the bacteria cell is made up of phospholipids and lip polysaccharides.

Metabolism of the bacteria cell

Helicobacter pylori are characterized by the presence of multi subunit urease enzyme. This enzyme helps the cell to survive in acidic pH condition of the stomach. It forms colonies and utilizes the urease enzyme to convert Urea in to bicarbonate and ammonia. This helps it to fight the low acidic level in the stomach. The combination of this two extreme acidic pH   forms a protective cloud around the bacteria cell and helps it to survive and reproduce in the stomach.

Genomic structure of Helicobacter pylori

Till date a number of strains of the Helicobacter pylori bacteria have been discovered. The strain “26695” has been studied in detail to get an idea of the basic genomic structure of the bacteria cell. The bacteria cell has been found to contain a single circular chromosome with over one million base pairs. The different strains of the bacteria differ from each other in the number of base pairs.  “26695” strain contains 1.7 million base pairs.

The bacteria Helicobacter pylori were first discovered by Dr Barry Marshell and Robin Warren in the year 1982. In the year 1979 its parthogenic nature was established and it was identified as the chief cause for gastric ulcer and gastritis in the stomach of humans. The bacteria cells with their flagella drill through the outer skin of the stomach and duodenum and live and reproduce on the mucus lining of the stomach.

Unlike as believed in the earlier days of discovery of the H pylori bacteria, they are also found in the stomachs of Cheetah, dogs and cats other than in humans.

Article Tags: Bacteria Helicobacter Pylori, Bacteria Helicobacter, Helicobacter Pylori, Bacteria Cell

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