Campylobacter pylori infection and its relation to chronic gastritis. An endoscopic, bacteriologic, and histomorphologic study.

Campylobacter pylori was isolated from 27 of 61 gastric antral biopsy specimens and from 8 of 61 duodenal biopsy specimens. A significant correlation between the occurrence of C. pylori and chronic active gastritis was demonstrated. However, the presence of the bacterium on normal mucosa weakens the theory of C. pylori as a primary causal organism. There was a significant correlation between isolation of C. pylori and erosive lesions in the antral mucosa as diagnosed by endoscopy. No correlation was found between endoscopic findings and histologically verified chronic active gastritis. The microbiologic examinations in this study showed a high degree of homogeneity between the isolated strains of C. pylori. A 3-OH-octadecanoic acid of the bacterial cell wall seemed to be specific for this organism and was identified in all our isolates and in the type strain of C. pylori. We therefore conclude that all Campylobacter-like organisms isolated in this study belonged to one taxonomic unit.