Could Helicobacter organisms cause inflammatory bowel disease?

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Gastroenterology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Helicobacter pylori revolutionized peptic ulcer and gastric cancer understanding.
• Other Helicobacter species cause colitis in animals, with H. bilis and H. hepaticus used in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) models.
• Molecular evidence links non-pylori Helicobacter species to human IBD, but causation remains unconfirmed due to culturing difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of non-pylori Helicobacter species in gastrointestinal diseases, particularly human IBD.
• To assess the potential of these bacteria as causative agents in human inflammatory conditions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on Helicobacter species and gastrointestinal diseases.
• Analysis of molecular evidence linking non-pylori Helicobacter to human IBD.
• Review of successful culturing attempts of enterohepatic Helicobacter species from humans.

Main Results:

• Seven enterohepatic non-pylori Helicobacter species have been cultured from humans: H. canadensis, H. canis, H. cinaedi, H. fennelliae, H. pullorum, H. winghamensis, and H. bilis.
• H. cinaedi and H. fennelliae are the closest to fulfilling Koch's postulates for homosexual proctitis.
• Despite molecular links, direct causation of human IBD by non-pylori Helicobacter remains unproven.

Conclusions:

• Non-pylori Helicobacter species are significant pathogens in animal models of IBD.
• Further investigation into novel Helicobacter species is warranted to explore their potential role in initiating human IBD.
• Targeted research is crucial to establish the etiological role of these bacteria in human gastrointestinal diseases.