Free-living amoebae promote growth and survival of Helicobacter pylori.
Transmission routes of Helicobacter pylori remain poorly understood. The finding of bacterial DNA in water suggests the involvement of environmental factors. Here we report successful co-cultivation of H. pylori with Acanthamoeba castellanii, which circumvents the requirement of this bacterium for precise microaerobic conditions and a large supply of nutrients in order to grow. H. pylori was able to propagate and remain viable for several weeks in the presence of amoebae under experimental conditions. Intact, metabolically active bacteria could be demonstrated in vacuoles. The putative dependence of H. pylori on free-living amoebae in nature could be important with respect to transmission and prevalence, as shown for some other pathogenic bacteria.
Winiecka-Krusnell
Jadwiga
J
Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Solna. jadwiga.winiecka-krusnell@smi.ki.se
Wreiber
Karin
K
von Euler
Ann
A
Engstrand
Lars
L
Linder
Ewert
E
D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000382:microbiology; D000656:Amoeba / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000382:microbiology
D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned