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Comparative Evaluation of Three Supplements for Helicobacter pylori Growth in Liquid Culture

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Abstract

Helicobacter pylori, a microaerophilic fastidious bacterium, has been cultured on various plating and broth media since its discovery. Although the agar media can be sufficient for the identification, typing, and antibiotic resistance studies, no secretory antigen of H. pylori can be evaluated in such media. Thus, satisfactory growth of H. pylori in liquid culture which is needed for analysis of secretory proteins without the presence of interfering agents is in demand. We assessed the impact of β-cyclodextrin, Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), and charcoal as supplements for H. pylori growth. Furthermore, we aimed to identify the most favorable supplement that supports the secretion of the dominant secretory protein, vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA). Five clinical strains were cultured on broth media and the growth, viability, morphology, and protein content of each strain were determined. Our results revealed that β-cyclodextrin supports the growth rate, viability, and cell lysate protein content to the extent similar to FBS. Application of β-cyclodextrin is found to postpone spiral to coccoid conversion up to 72 h of incubation. Although FBS supports a higher VacA protein content, presence of interfering macromolecules in FBS questions its utility particularly for purposes of studying extra cellular proteins such as VacA. This study recommends further application of β-cyclodextrin as a culture supplement with the potential capacity in neutralizing toxic compounds and flourishing the secretion of H. pylori proteins without addition of interfering proteins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Helicobacter Pylori Research Group, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran, 13164

    Masoumeh Douraghi, Samaneh Saberi Kashani, Maryam Esmaili, Akbar Oghalaie & Marjan Mohammadi

  2. Department of Bacteriology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Masoumeh Douraghi

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hojjat Zeraati

Authors
  1. Masoumeh Douraghi
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  2. Samaneh Saberi Kashani
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  3. Hojjat Zeraati
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  4. Maryam Esmaili
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  5. Akbar Oghalaie
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  6. Marjan Mohammadi
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Correspondence to Marjan Mohammadi.

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Douraghi, M., Saberi Kashani, S., Zeraati, H. et al. Comparative Evaluation of Three Supplements for Helicobacter pylori Growth in Liquid Culture. Curr Microbiol 60, 254–262 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-009-9534-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-009-9534-4

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