Helicobacter pylori

type of pathogen

Gram negative spirillum

reservoir

Gastric mucosa of humans only

disease caused

Gastritis, gastric ulcers, gastric cancer

portal of entry/transmission

Mouth; fecal oral or oral/oral – not clear but familiesseem to pass it around

virulence factor

Urease – breaks down urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide; ammonia increases pH ofstomach to

inhibit low pH of stomach, allows bacterium to reach lining of stomach

term

chronic – lasting for a long time or frequently recurring. H. pylori infects approximately 4.4

billion people worldwide and can cause ongoing gastritis in humans over the course of their lives.