An ancient ecospecies of Helicobacter pylori.

ABSTRACT: Helicobacter pylori disturbs the stomach lining during long-term colonization of its human host, with sequelae including ulcers and gastric cancer^1,2. Numerous H. pylori virulence factors have been identified, showing extensive geographic variation¹. Here we identify a 'Hardy' ecospecies of H. pylori that shares the ancestry of 'Ubiquitous' H. pylori from the same region in most of the genome but has nearly fixed single-nucleotide polymorphism differences in 100 genes, many of which encode outer membrane proteins and host interaction factors. Most Hardy strains have a second urease, which uses iron as a cofactor rather than nickel³, and two additional copies of the vacuolating cytotoxin VacA. Hardy strains currently have a limited distribution, including in

SUBMITTER: Tourrette E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11541087 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature