Shape matters: The corkscrew twist of H. pylori enables it to 'set up shop' in the stomach
Sunday, August 15, 2010 - 22:14
in Biology & Nature
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which lives in the human stomach and is associated with ulcers and gastric cancer, is shaped like a corkscrew, or helix. For years researchers have hypothesized that the bacterium's twisty shape is what enables it to survive -- and thrive -- within the stomach's acid-drenched environment, but until now they have had no proof.