Helicobacter Pylori is typically found in the epithelial lining of the stomach or in the gastric mucous layer frequently adapting to the tough environments of the stomach. Humans are the target reservoir for this bacterium to infect. It is a spiral shaped, gram-negative bacterium that causes gastric and duodenal ulcers in the stomach. Helicobacter Pylori was first discovered in 1982 when two biologists took a brand new bacterium, isolated it, and showed that the bacterium caused ulcers in the stomach. The link between bacteria and ulcers was then established.
After a great deal of research, it was revealed that in individuals that were infected with Helicobacter Pylori, antibodies were found in the bloodstream. Helicobacter Pylori are able to attach to cells as they go through the mucous layer of the stomach. When the bacterium enters the stomach, an enzyme called urease converts the stomach cells chemical urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The enzyme urease tends to trigger inflammation. Once those chemicals have been converted, the acidity in the mucous surrounding the bacteria then becomes neutral protecting the bacteria. Even with the immune system being strong, the bacterium does not get abolished due to Helicobacter Pylori creating components in the cell wall that are similar to molecules made in
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These bacterium protect themselves and avoid direct contact with the hydrochloric acid found in our stomachs. The tail-like structures called flagellae help them move through the mucous lining of the stomach and attach to the cells at the bottom of that lining. Any individual infected with this bacteria remained infected for life, unless treated with antibiotics. Even with our immune system being as robust as it is, it still can 't seem to deplete the H. Pylori