title: [Helicobacter pylori--bacterial characteristics].
abstract: Helicobacter pylori lives in the gastric mucosa of about half of world population. H. pylori is a gram-negative, microaerophilic, facultatively acidophilic rod, very sensitive to drying and usual disinfectants. H. pylori strains show great genetic variability, the main mechanism of this phenomenon being in vivo genetic recombination. The principal virulence factors are: vacuolating cytotoxin, enzyme urease, motility, adhesive molecules on the cell surface, catalase and superoxide-dysmutase, receptor for human lactoferin and factors which promote proinflammatory cytokine secretion. Strains of H. pylori are sensitive to ampicillin and tetracycline; resistance to macrolide antibiotics is 7-15% in different parts of the world, and to metronidazole is 7-50% or even more. Because in vitro sensitivity of H. pylori is the most important factor for successful therapy, it is necessary to monitor this sensitivity continuously in a particular area.
authors.affiliation: Zavod za klinicku i molekularnu mikrobiologiju, Klinicki bolnicki centar Zagreb, Kispatićeva 12, 10000 Zagreb.
authors.forename: Smilja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalenić
authors.forename: Vanda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plecko
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Presecki
authors.forename: Miroslava
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katicić
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dominis
mesh_terms: D004351:Drug Resistance; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors