Helicobacter Pylori, From Its Discovery To Its Role In Cancer

A bacterium that causes gastritis

Luck plays a major role when it comes to scientific discoveries more commonly than you would imagine. This is the case of the discovery of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that was detected in gastric tissue obtained from patients who suffered from gastritis and ulcers.

Before this, the general knowledge of bacteria present in the digestive system didn't really suggest that these microorganisms could be linked to diseases. After the identification of H. pylori, new questions were asked regarding the role of bacteria living in our gut and their possible involvement in the development of disease.

From the gut to the microscope

H. pylori was discovered in 1982 thanks to a small not intended change in the experiments conducted by Robin Warren and Barry Marshall, from the University of Perth, in Australia.

Since its discovery, this bacterium has also gained notoriety because it might be also one of the most important risk factors in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma, better known as gastric cancer.

Gastritis and peptic ulcer: a burning feeling

If you’re lucky enough not to actually suffer from gastritis, I’m pretty sure you have heard about it from a relative or friend.

In simpler words, gastritis is an irritation of the wall of the stomach, which causes pain, bloating, nausea and vomiting, indigestion and loss of appetite. It can even get worst, cause bleedings and be accompanied by the formation of peptic ulcers, which are crater shaped lesions on the lining of the stomach that appear as consequence of an increased secretion of acid gastric fluids into the stomach.

By the time Warren and Marshall were working on their experiments, the common belief was that gastritis and the formation of gastric ulcers was a product of stress and a hustled lifestyle, alcohol consumption or a diet rich in acidic foods and beverages, among other factors. Doctors never actually thought that these conditions had anything to do with bacteria.

See Also: Helicobacter pylori: The Bacteria that Cause Ulcers

The discovery of H. pylori was an accident, a lucky accident.

After a series of studies, and one even performed by Marshall on himself, it was finally possible for them to confirm the infection by H. pylori as trigger in the formation of peptic ulcers and some cases of gastritis.

What Does H. Pylori Do To Your Stomach?

As any other bacterium that causes disease, H. pylori has the ability to infect people using different mechanisms, which allow it to survive in hostile environments and to stay inside our stomach without being detected or affected by our body’s defense mechanisms.

Sticky and tough

This microorganism has developed several strategies to infect and live in the stomach and in the first part of the small intestine of humans. It has the ability to stick in between the layers of the gastric mucosa in order to avoid our immune system. In fact, it provokes an over activation of our defense mechanisms, causing chronic inflammation of the gut.

The gut environment is very hostile. It is mainly acidic and it is very hard for microorganisms to survive under those conditions. This is not a problem for H. pylori, because it produces a substance called urease, which neutralizes the acids in our stomach.

Imagine this! Ammonia is toxic to our stomach cells and affects its function, promoting an alteration in the normal production of gastric acids and the eventual development of gastritis and ulcers.

More about H. pylori infection

Infection by H. pylori is not easy to detect. Most of us would have H. pylori in our stomachs but never develop any symptoms, although this really depends on how resistant the person’s immune system is to the infection.

If you have H. pylori infection it is likely that you will live with it for the rest of your life if you don’t get any treatment, but this would depend on how your disease progresses, or if you experience any symptomatology at all.

See Also: New Breath Test Detects H.Pylori in 10 minutes

If you get diagnosed with H. pylori infection, you will get a mix of antibiotics to kill the bacteria, and medications to control the acidic conditions of your stomach and prevent further damage to the lining.

It is not yet well known how this bacterium can lead to cancer but it has been mainly related to chronic inflammation promoted by the bacterium, which makes normal cells turn into malignant cells.