A group of bacteria, previously known to exist in radioactive waste, hot springs and fecal matter of animals has now been found to reside inside the human stomach. This finding could eventually pave for a better understanding of gastrointestinal diseases and newer treatment strategies.
The bacteria 'Helicobacter pylori', that was discovered about 20 years ago, has been largely blamed for causing peptic ulcers. However the exact mechanism by which the stomach could harbor such a vast variety of microorganisms co-exist inside the human body still remains unclear.Molecular analysis of gastric samples, derived from nearly 23 volunteers has revealed the presence of nearly 128 different types of bacteria. A majority of them were types that had been previously identified either in the mouth or esophagus.
In addition, 10% of the observed microorganisms were diverse with regard to the genetic constitution and did not show any resemblance to previously identified bacteria. Researchers at Stanford University have conducted this interesting study.
Surprisingly, a group of bacteria that resembled deinococcus radiodurans, most commonly observed in sites where there is excessive accumulation of radioactive wastes, hot springs and animal faeces was identified for the first time inside the human body.
The presence of H. pylori was documented in 19 of the study participants. Conventional tests for identification of H.Pylori had however identified the bacteria only in 12 of the above individuals.
More studies are clearly indicated to analyze gastric microorganisms in different individuals and the significance of factors such as gender, racial difference, and diverse ethic origin in any difference that may be noted is very essential.
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