H. pylori is a microaerophile that colonizes the inflamed gastric mucosa of humans. These two facts suggest the presence of a network of systems needed to manage both the oxygen to which H. pylori is exposed and the oxidative stress induced by endogenous and exogenous processes. That oxygen and TOS are constant companions of H. pylori in vivo is reflected in the enzymes expressed to manage them and the regulatory and repair mechanisms developed by the bacterium to cope with this type of stress. Nonetheless, our understanding of how H. pylori evades and avoids toxic oxygen effects is far from complete; and despite the importance of the topic, the management of oxygen and oxidative stress in H. pylori is a relatively neglected subject area.
Copyright © 2001, ASM Press.