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Review

The role of the gastrointestinal microbiome in Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis

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Pages 505-531 | Received 31 Jul 2013, Accepted 18 Aug 2013, Published online: 19 Aug 2013
 

Abstract

The discovery of Helicobacter pylori overturned the conventional dogma that the stomach was a sterile organ and that pH values < 4 were capable of sterilizing the stomach. H. pylori are an etiological agent associated with gastritis, hypochlorhydria, duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer. It is now appreciated that the human stomach supports a bacterial community with possibly 100s of bacterial species that influence stomach homeostasis. Other bacteria colonizing the stomach may also influence H. pylori-associated gastric pathogenesis by creating reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and modulating inflammatory responses. In this review, we summarize the available literature concerning the gastric microbiota in humans, mice, and Mongolian gerbils. We also discuss the gastric perturbations, many involving H. pylori, that facilitate the colonization by bacteria from other compartments of the gastrointestinal tract, and identify risk factors known to affect gastric homeostasis that contribute to changes in the microbiota.

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflict of interest was disclosed

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants P01CA028842 (JGF), P01CA026731 (JGF), and P30ES002109 (JGF).

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