ABSTRACT
Helicobacter pylori is an important cause of gastritis and is implicated in the pathogenesis of peptic ulceration and gastric cancer. This chapter aims to develope a genetic exchange system for H. pylori and have used sensitive molecular methods to detect and fingerprint the organism. Patients colonized with H. pylori show a specific serum antibody response, which is largely directed against the urease protein. However, H. pylori- specific immunogenic epitopes in the urease polypeptides can be identified from the alignment of ureases and epitope mapping studies, and they should provide a useful specific serological test. The DNA sequence will be used to design H. pylori- specific oligonucleotides to detect by polymerase chain reaction, strains that contain the 120-kDa gene. Surface exposed H. pylori proteins and those that may be exported to the surface may play an important role in the organism's colonization, maintenance, and pathogenic action on gastric epithelial cells.
