[Helicobacter pylori and urease activity--comparative study between urease positive and negative mutant strains].

The ammonia concentration in the gastric juice from H. pylori positive cases was significantly higher than that from negative cases, and there was positive correlation between number of H. pylori, gastritis score and ammonia concentration in gastric juice. It is suggested that ammonia in gastric juice which is produced by powerful urease activity of H. pylori is one of the pathogenic factors in gastritis. We succeeded in producing a urease-negative mutant strain of H. pylori. This strain did not colonize gastric mucosa of Cynomolgus monkeys. H. pylori survival time in vitro was increased at pH 2.0 in the presence of urea. These results suggest that urease facilitates colonization of gastric mucosa by H. pylori, and prolongs the survival of H. pylori in an acidic environment.