BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori, causing the most common chronic bacterial infection, exist in two forms; bacilli and coccoid. The coccoid form is identified as viable but non-culturable bacteria. OBJECTIVES The current study aimed to conduct culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) tests to identify coccoid forms of H. pylori. MATERIALS AND...

UNLABELLED Dividing cells of the coccoid Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus undergo extremely rapid (millisecond) daughter cell separation (DCS) driven by mechanical crack propagation, a strategy that is very distinct from the gradual, enzymatically driven cell wall remodeling process that has been well described in several rod-shaped model bacteria. To determine if other bacteria, e...

Variably acid-fast coccoid forms, suggestive of cell wall deficient forms of mycobacteria, were observed in the dermis in microscopic sections of skin from six patients with generalized scleroderma, 10 patients with localized scleroderma (morphea), and four patients with lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA). These coccoid forms were found within the collagen bundles, around the adnexae (hair sh...

Human gastric epithelial immortalized GES-1 cells were infected with spiral and coccoid Helicobacter pylori. Scanning electron microscopy was used to determine the ability of the two forms of H. pylori to adhere to GES-1 cells. GES-1 cell apoptosis induced by coccoid and spiral H. pylori was analysed using flow cytometry. A cDNA microarray for 22,000 human genes was used to identify the gene-ex...

To the Editor-Eaton et al. [1] recently described experiments with coccoid Helicobacter pylori in gnotobiotic piglets. This interesting study examined the colonization and the reversion from coccoid to bacillary H pylori within 2 weeks of inoculation. Piglets colonized with bacillary H pylori had more severe gastritis 2 weeks after inoculation than did those sacrificed 1 week after inoculation....

Magnetotactic cocci swim persistently along local magnetic field lines in a preferred direction that corresponds to downward migration along geomagnetic field lines. Recently, high cell concentrations of magnetotactic cocci have been found in the water columns of chemically stratified, marine and brackish habitats, and not always in the sediments, as would be expected for persistent, downward-m...

Bile-tolerant Helicobacter spp. are emerging human and animal pathogens. However, due to their fastidious nature, which requires nutrient-rich complex media to grow, infection with these bacteria may be underestimated. The accumulation of toxic metabolites in cultures may be one of the main obstacles for successful culture of these organisms. The present study examined various potential growth-...

Methanogenic bacteria were isolated from landfill sites in the United Kingdom. Strains of Methanobacterium formicicum, Methanosarcina barkeri, several different immunotypes of Methanobacterium bryantii, and a coccoid methanogen distinct from the reference immunotypes were identified.

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a spiral Gram negative bacteria that can transform to the coccoid form in adverse conditions. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro morphological and bactericidal effects of metronidazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin on H. pylori. MATERIALS AND METHODS The standard strain 26695 of H. pylori was cultured on Brucella ag...

Helicobacter pylori was grown on solid medium for up to 5 weeks. Morphological conversion from spiral to coccoid forms began after 7 days incubation under microaerophilic conditions. Similar to the exponential cultures, the ageing bacteria produced alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, leucine arylamidase and naphthol-AS-beta 1-phosphohydrolase, although there was a reduction in the levels of...