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The role of microorganisms in biliary tract disease

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Abstract

The biliary tract is normally sterile, but bile-tolerant bacteria are frequently isolated from patients with cholecystitis. Since the identification of about 25 Helicobacter species, some of which may grow in bile, studies have addressed the role of these organisms in primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and cholelithiasis. Most of these bacteria show the presence of Helicobacter DNA or antigens in the bile tract and in liver samples. Altogether, data from studies on biliary and hepatic diseases, as well as pancreatic disorders, suggest that bile-tolerant Helicobacter species may induce a chronic infection with possible malignant transformation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Microbiology, Dermatology and Infection, Lund University, Sölvegatan 23, S-223 62, Lund, Sweden

    Åsa Ljungh MD, PhD & Torkel Wadström MD, PhD

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  1. Åsa Ljungh MD, PhD
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  2. Torkel Wadström MD, PhD
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Ljungh, Å., Wadström, T. The role of microorganisms in biliary tract disease. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 4, 167–171 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-002-0055-6

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