Hostname: page-component-f554764f5-rj9fg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-08T20:07:08.954Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The coccoid forms of Helicobacter pylori. Criteria for their viability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

G. Bode ,
F. Mauch  and
P. Malfertheiner
G. Bode
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Ulm, Robert-Koch-Str. 8, D-89070 Ulm, Germany
F. Mauch
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Ulm, Robert-Koch-Str. 8, D-89070 Ulm, Germany
P. Malfertheiner
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Ulm, Robert-Koch-Str. 8, D-89070 Ulm, Germany
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The fact that Helicobacter pylori can revert to a coccoid form has stimulated speculation about its role in transmission and as a possible cause of reinfection in duodenal ulcer disease. Bismuth subcitrate (32 μg/ml), bismuth subsalicylate (64 μg/ml), amoxicillin (0·05 μg/ml) and erythromycin (4 μg/ml) inhibited the growth of H. pylori and stimulated the formation the formation of basically respiring but non-culturable coccoid structures. The presence of polyphosphates as energy and phosphorus source permits a certain level of endogenous metabolism to preserve RNA and DNA, as well as structural components like cell wall, cell membrane and cytoplasma for at least 3 months. However, the applied standard laboratory methods were insufficient for regrowth of H. pylori out of the coccoid form.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 111 , Issue 3 , December 1993 , pp. 483 - 490
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

References

1.Karim, QN, Maxwell, RH. Survival of Campylobacter pylori in artificially contaminated milk. J Clin Pathol 1989; 42: 778.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Mai, UEH, Shahamat, M, Colwell, RR. Survival of Helicobacter pylori in the aquatic environment. In: Menge, H, Gregor, M, Tytgat, GNJT, Marshall, BJ, MeNulty, CAM, eds. Helicobacter pylori 1990. Berlin: Springer, 1991: 91–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.West, AP, Miller, MR, Tompkins, DS. Survival of Helicobacter pylori in water and saline. J Clin Pathol 1990; 43: 609.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Klein, PD, Graham, DY, Gaillow, A, Opekun, AR, O'Brian Smith, E. Water source as risk factor for Helicobacter pylori infection in Peruvian children. Lancet 1991; i: 1503–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Thomas, JE, Gibson, GR, Darboe, MK, Dale, A, Weaver, LT. Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from human faeces. Lancet 1992; 340: 1194–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Fox, JG, Paster, BJ, Dewhirst, FE, et al. Helicobacter mustelae isolation from feces of ferrets: evidence to support fecal–oral transmission of a gastric Helicobacter. Infect Immun 1992: 60: 606–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Fox, JG, Blanco, MC, Yan, L. et al. Role of gastric pH in isolation of Helicobacter mustelae from the feces of ferrets. Gastroenterology 1993; 104: 86–92.Google Scholar
8.Kjellberg, S, Hermansson, M, Marden, P. The transient phase between growth and nongrowth of heterotrophic bacteria, with emphasis on the marine environment. Rev Microbiol 1987; 41: 25–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Novitsky, JA, Morita, RJ. Possible strategy for the survival of marine bacteria under starvation conditions. Mar Biol 1978; 48: 289–95.Google Scholar
10.Byrd, JJ, Xu, H-S, Colwell, RR. Viable but nonculturable bacteria in drinking water. Appl Environ Microbiol 1991; 57: 875–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Costas, M, Morgan, DD, Owen, RJ, Morgan, DR. Differentiation of strains of Helicobacter by numerical analysis of 1D SDS-PAGE protein patterns: evidence for posttreatment recrudescence. Epidemiol Infect 1991; 107: 607–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Skirrow, MB. Campylobacter enteritis: a ‘new’ disease. BMJ 1977; 2: 9–11.Google Scholar
13.Haschemeyer, RH, Myers, RJ. Negative staining. In: Hayat, MA, ed. Principles and techniques of electron microscopy, vol. 2. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1972: 99–147.Google Scholar
14.Bauer, R. Electron spectroscopic imaging: an advanced technique for imaging and analysis in transmission electron microscopy. Meth Microbiol 1988; 20: 113–46.Google Scholar
15.Bode, G, Mauch, F, Ditschuneit, H, Malfertheiner, P. Identification and characterization of polyphosphates in Helicobacter pylori. In press.Google Scholar
16.Jones, DM, Curry, A. The genesis of coccal forms of Helicobacter pylori. In: Malfertheiner, P, Ditschuneit, H, eds. Helicobacter pylori, gastritis and peptic ulcer. Berlin: Springer, 1990: 29–37.Google Scholar
17.Bode, G, Malfertheiner, P, Ditschuneit, H. Coccoid forms of Helicobacter pylori are viable. Ital J Gastroenterol 1991; 23 (Suppl 2): 35–36.Google Scholar
18.Drumm, B, Pérez-Pérez, GI, Blaser, MJ, Sherman, PM. Intrafamilial clustering of Helicobacter pylori infection. New Engl J Med 1990; 322: 359–63.Google Scholar
19.Lee, A, Fox, JG, Otto, G, Hegedus-Dick, E, Krakowka, S. Transmission of Helicobacter spp. A challenge to the dogma of faecal—oral spread. Epidemiol Infect 1991; 107: 99–109.Google Scholar
20.Koster, T, Vandenbroucke, JP. Helicobacter pylori, musings from the epidemiologic armchair. Epidemiol Infect 1992; 109: 81–5.Google Scholar
21.Bode, G, Malfertheiner, P, Ströhle, A, Mauch, F, Nilius, M, Ditschuneit, H. Polymorphism in Helicobacter pylori – a key function for recurrent infection ? Med Klin 1992; 87: 179–84.Google Scholar
22.Ng, LK, Sherburne, R, Taylor, D, Stiles, ME. Morphological forms and viability of Campylobacter species studied by electron microscopy. J Bacteriol 1985; 164: 338–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Roszak, DB, Grimes, DJ, Colwell, RR. Viable but nonrecoverable stage of Salmonella enteritidis in aquatic systems. Can J Microbiol 1984; 30: 334–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Rollins, DM, Colwell, RR. Viable but nonculturable stage of Campylobacter jejuni and its role in survival in the natural aquatic environment. Appl Environ Microbiol 1986; 52: 531–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25.Perez-Rosas, N, Hazen, TC. In situ survival of Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli in a tropical rain forest watershed. Appl Environ Microbiol 1989; 55: 495–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26.Saha, SK, Saha, S, Sanyal, SC. Recovery of injured Campylobacter jejuni cells after animal passage. Appl Environ Microbiol 1991; 57: 3388–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27.McFeters, GA, Singh, A. Effects of acquatic environmental stress on enteric bacterial pathogens. J Appl Bacteriol 1991; 70: 115–20.Google Scholar
28.Kulaev, IS, Vagabov, VM. Polyphosphate metabolism in micro-organisms. Adv Microbiol Physiol 1983; 24: 83–169.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29.Morita, RY. Bioavailability of energy and its relationship to growth and starvation survival in nature. Can J Microbiol 1988; 34: 436–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30.Glupczynski, Y, Burette, A. Drug therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection: problems and pitfalls. Am J Gastroenterol 1990; 85: 1545–51.Google ScholarPubMed
31.Owen, RJ, Bell, GD, Desai, M, et al. Biotype and molecular fingerprints of metronidazole-resistant strains of Helicobacter pylori from antral gastric mucosa. J Med Microbiol 1993; 38: 6–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed