HELICOBACTER PYLORI AND GI TRACT DISEASE:

PATHOGENESIS, SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT

AND PREVENTION
PRESENTED BY
AKINGBADE KEHINDE ABDULAZEEZ
MCB/2016/065

SEMINAR SUPERVISOR
DR. (MRS.) C.D. FASHINA

SEMINAR COORDINATOR
DR. O.O. OMOBOYE 1
 OUTLINE OF THIS PRESENTATION

• INTRODUCTION—MORPHOLOGY AND STRUCTURE OF Helicobacter pylori

• PATHOGENESIS OF Helicobacter pylori INFECTION

• EPIDEMIOLOGY

• SYMPTOMS AND CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF Helicobacter pylori

INFECTION

• DIAGNOSIS OF Helicobacter pylori infection

• PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF Helicobacter pylori INFECTION

• CONCLUSION
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INTRODUCTION—MORPHOLOGY AND
STRUCTURE OF Helicobacter pylori

• Helicobacter pylori is a spiral Gram-

negative bacteria
• It has a multiple polar flagella above the
pole and motile
• Thrives in the stomach acid
• Not cleared by host immune response
• Breaks down urea to ammonia and
carbondioxide
• Produces adhesins which aids its
binding to epithelial cells
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PATHOGENESIS AND PATHOLOGY
• Helicobacter pylori is found in the deep mucus layer

• Spread by oral-oral contact

• Faeco-oral spread prominent

• Causes mild to acute gastritis

• Poverty and overcrowding predisposes

• Its motility enables it to thrive in mucus and the epithelial surface of the GI tract

• Colonizes mucosa but does not involve mucosa

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FACTORS AFFECTING THE PATHOGENICITY OF H.pylori

• Lipopolysaccharides—damage mucosal cells and Ammonia produced

by Urease activity may directly damage cells

• Gastritis—Chronic inflammation of the epithelial lining of the GI tract

• Events leading to the destruction of the epithelium is common

(Carraher et al., 2015)

• Glandular atrophy is common

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EPIDEMIOLOGY

• H. pylori infection occurs worldwide

• Prevalence varies greatly among
countries and population groups
• 20-50% prevalence rate among adults
in industrialised countries (Didelot et
al., 2017)
• >80% prevalence rate in middle age
adults in developing countries (may
reflect poorer living conditions)

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Areas where Helicobacter pylori infection can be found in
the GI tract (Yu et al., 2014)

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SYMPTOMS AND SYMPTOMS OF Helicobacter
pylori INFECTION
• Upper Gastrointestinal illness
• Nausea
• Pain
• Fever—very occasionally
• Loss of appetite
• Unintentional weight loss (Didelot et
al., 2017)
• Acute symptoms lasts for < 1 week
• H. pylori infection may last for years,
decades or even lifetime
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DIAGNOSIS OF Helicobacter pylori INFECTION

INVASIVE NON-INVASIVE
Histopathology Urea Breath Test
Rapid Urease Test Stool Ag
Culture Serology
PCR

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TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF
Helicobacter pylori INFECTION
TREATMENT
• Use of drugs to reduce gastric acidity as well as antibiotics
• Proton Pump Inhibitors, Histamine blockers, Pepto-Bismol can
suppress gastric acidity
• Antibiotics like Amoxillin, Metronidazole, Levofloxacin, Tetracycline
are recommended however with strict medical supervision (Carraher et
al., 2015)

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TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF
Helicobacter pylori INFECTION
PREVENTION
• There is no vaccine for H. pylori
• Avoid unsanitary areas
• Wash your hands thoroughly
• Get tested
• Adequate nutrition
• Avoid poorly cooked foods
• Improvement of public health standards

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CONCLUSION

Data from recent studies show that the prevalence of H. pylori infection
is still high in most countries worldwide. H. pylori is a common and
significant human pathogen central to the pathogenesis of many
gastroduodenal disorders. Thus, understanding the pathogenesis of the
infection is central to effective prevention strategies

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 REFERENCES
• Adlekha S, Chadha T, Krishnan P, Sumangala B (2013). Prevalence of
Helicobacter pylori infection among patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal
endoscopy in a medical college hospital in kerala, India. Ann Med Health Sci Res
2013;3:559–63.
• Carraher S, Chang HJ, Munday R, Goodman K.J (2015). Helicobacter pylori
incidence and re-infection in the Aklavik H. pylori Project. Int J Circumpolar
Health 2015;72:1–7.
• Didelot X, Nell S, Yang I, Woltemate S, van der Merwe S, Suerbaum S (2017).
Genomic evolution and transmission of Helicobacter pylori in two South African
families. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017;110:13880–5.
• Yu Y, Su L, Wang X, Wang X, Xu C (2014). Association between Helicobacter
pylori infection and pathological changes in the gastric mucosa in Chinese
children. Intern Med 2014;53:83–8.
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