Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the human stomach and can establish a long-term infection of the gastric mucosa. H. pylori presents a high-level of genetic diversity, which can be an important factor in its adaptation to the host stomach and also for the clinical outcome of infection. There are important H. pylori virulence factors that, along with host characteristics and the external environment, have been associated with the different occurrences of diseases (Roesler et al).

A recent study was conducted analysing and summarizing the virulence factors that, along with host characteristics and the external environment, have been associated with the different occurrences of diseases. Dr Bruna M. Roesler discusses the background and findings of their Clinical Medicine Insights: Gastroenterology paper Virulence Factors of Helicobacter Pylori:

How did you become interested in studying the virulence factors of helicobacter pylori?

The first isolation of Helicobacter pylori in 1980s by Marshall and Warren ushered in a new era in gastric microbiology and in conjunction with increased interest in the pathogenesis of gastroduodenal diseases has led to important breakthroughs in medical care. Since bacterium isolation it was known that H. pylori presents a high level of genetic diversity and it was one of the principal points that interested me in studying the virulence factors that are produced by H. pylori and can possibly be important in the different outcomes of gastrointestinal diseases, especially regarding gastric cancer.

What was previously known about the virulence factors of H. pylori and different occurrences of diseases?  How has your work in this area advanced understanding of it?

The work that was published in Clinical Medicine Insights: Gastroenterology is a review work that describes the principal points and knowledge concerning H. pylori virulence factors. The work developed by my colleagues and I has been suggested some important relationships between H. pylori virulence factors, such as urease C and urease B, cagA, vacA, cagT, dupA, among others, and the clinical outcome. For instance, in a previous study we were able to identifying that cagA gene was more prevalent in H. pylori strains obtained from advanced gastric cancer patients than from patients with early gastric cancer, aspect that can be important for the development of this severe disease that continues to be an important cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

What do regard as being the most important aspect of the results of your research?

Certainly the most important aspect of my research, as a review, was to recognize that virulence factors of H. pylori are very important for the development of the different gastrointestinal diseases, as well as they can also be important for the development of extra digestive diseases which nowadays are being my focus of study.  

Dr Bruna Roesler is a Researcher at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. Dr Roesler’s paper; Virulence Factors of Helicobacter Pylori is now available to download, share and comment on.

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