Bacteria are small, but that does not mean that they are uninteresting!
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a particular favourite for me, not only for it being a human pathogen (being a causative agent of gastritis, peptic and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer), but also for the way in which it finally came by its name.
The Discovery of H. pylori
The bacterium was first discovered by two Australian medical doctors, Marshall and Warren, when large numbers of curved or spiral bacteria were found in the gastric biopsies of patients suffering from chronic gastritis. The bacteria were found within the gastric mucosa, closely associated with the surface of the gastric epithelium (Warren, 1983).
Prior to this discovery, it had been assumed that the harsh, acidic, conditions within the stomach would be so inhospitable that no bacteria could survive there.
Original Classification
Initial observations of the newly discovered bacterium under the light microscope indicated that it may be related to the food borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, and so, the bacterium which we now know as H. pylori, was given its first name: Camplylobacter pyloridis (Marshall et al., 1984).
Re-naming The Bacterium
Three years later, the name of the bacterium was changed for the first time. This was not, as you might think, due to any new revelations regarding its physiology or its genetic proximity to the genus Campylobacter. It was, instead, due to a simple grammatical mistake! The name of the bacterium was changed from C. pyloridis to C. pylori (Marshall and Goodwin, 1987).
A New Genus - Helicobacter
By 1989 further studies of the bacterium had revealed sufficient evidence for it to be re-classified again.
Comparisons of the 16S ribosomal RNA sequences, and of the proteins present within the two species (as revealed by SDS-PAGE) showed there to be distinct differences between H. pylori and other Campylobacters. This evidence, along with the observation of an unusual sheathed structure to to the flagella of the recently discovered bacterium led to it being re-classified as an entirely new genus - Helicobacter. And so, Helicobacter pylori got its name (Goodwin et al., 1989).
References
Warren, J.R. (1983), Unidentified curved bacilli on gastric epithelium in active chronic gastritis. Lancet I, 1273.
Marshall, B.J., Royce, H., Annear, D.I., Goodwin, C.S., Pearman, J.W., Warren, J.R. and Armstrong, J.A. (1984), Original isolation of Campylobacter pyloridis from human gastric mucosa. Microbios. Letts. 25, 83-88.
Marshall, B.J. and Goodwin, C.S. (1987), Revised nomenclature of Campylobacter pyloridis. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 37, 68.
Goodwin, C.S., Armstrong, J.A., Chilvers, T., Peters, M., Collins, M.D., Sly, L., McConnel, W. and Harper, W.E.S. (1989), Transfer of Campylobacter pylori and C. mustelae to Helicobacter gen. nov. as H. pylori comb. nov. and H. mustelae comb. nov., respectively. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 39, 397-405.
Vicki Dennison - Vicki has a Ph.D, is a qualified Science teacher, and has a passion for inspiring young people.
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