Role of gastric mucosal cytokines in the immunopathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori infection: new hypotheses but still few certitudes.

Since the recognition of Helicobacter pylori as a pathogen involved in chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer, many studies have shown that clinical manifestations of H. pylori infection occur only in a minority of infected patients. Studies of the genomic diversity of this bacterium show relations of some bacterial characteristics with pathology. Imbalanced host response to infection may also play a major role in the clinical expression of H. pylori infection. Gastric epithelial cells are involved in the process, as well as lymphocytes and other immune cells of the underlying gastric tissue. A better understanding of the immunopathogenesis of H. pylori infection is required to understand the exact role of both the strain and the host.