Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-2-5
pubmed:abstractText
Helicobacter pylori is believed to cause chronic active gastritis. Infection/colonization of the gastric mucosal surface induces a mucosal inflammatory reaction in the form of lymphocytic aggregates, plasma cells and, particularly, neutrophils, which may, in turn, damage the mucosal epithelium. In vitro studies demonstrate that, in culture, the bacilli are readily phagocytosed by neutrophils, this evoking a neutrophilic oxidative burst. However, it has been claimed that neutrophils do not phagocytose H. pylori in vivo. In this study of 19 endoscopic biopsies of gastric mucosa with H. pylori-associated gastritis, Cresyl violet staining for light microscopy and electron microscopy are used to demonstrate that, in vivo, neutrophils actively phagocytose and destroy the bacilli in the epithelial intercellular space and in the mucin on the surface of the mucosa. Direct contact of neutrophils with H. pylori was observed in 17 of 17 cases by light microscopy and in 4 of 15 cases by electron microscopy. Phagocytosis by neutrophils was seen in 14 of 17 cases by light microscopy and in 3 of 1 5 cases by electron microscopy. It was most evident in the surface mucus coat where "wolf packs" of neutrophils were seen attacking the microbes. Ultrastructurally, neutrophil phagolysosomes contained both intact and partially digested bacteria, convincing evidence that the primary function of neutrophils in chronic active gastritis is to destroy H. pylori organisms. This study leaves open the question of whether, or how, neutrophils damage the gastric mucosa.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0191-3123
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
24
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
319-23
pubmed:dateRevised
2009-6-26
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:articleTitle
Light microscopic and ultrastructural evidence of in vivo phagocytosis of Helicobacter pylori by neutrophils.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Pathology, New York Veteran Affairs Medical Center, New York 10010, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article