Helicobacter pylori: Recent advances in the study of its pathogenicity and prevention

Helicobacter pylori has aquired great importance during the last two decades, after being recognized as an important pathogen that infects a great proportion of the human population. This microorganism is recognized as the main causal agent of chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcers, and it is asociat...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Germán R. Aguilar, Guadalupe Ayala, Geny Fierros
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2001
País:México
Recursos:Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública
Repositorio:Redalyc-INSP
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:10643312
Acesso em linha:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=10643312
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Salud
Health
Biology
Vaccination
Gastric cancer
Helicobacter pylori
Descrição
Resumo:Helicobacter pylori has aquired great importance during the last two decades, after being recognized as an important pathogen that infects a great proportion of the human population. This microorganism is recognized as the main causal agent of chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcers, and it is asociated with the subsequent development of gastric carcinoma. The pathogenic mechanisms of H. pylori and their relation to gastric aliments have not been clearly defined. However, at present it is well established that urease, vacuolating cytotoxin VacA, and the pathogenicity island (cag PAI) gene products, are the main factors of virulence of this organism. Thus, individuals infected with strains that express these virulence factors probably develop a severe local inflammation that may induce the development of peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. The way the infection spreads throughout the world suggests the possibility that there are multiple pathways of transmission. The objective of this review is to present the most relevant findings of the biology of H. pylori and its interaction with the human host.