Research progress in the Helicobacter pylori with viable non-culturable state.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most common pathogens in human beings and it is responsible for diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and even gastric cancer. Studies in recent years have found that H. Pylori could transform from the normal spiral-shaped bacillary form into the coccoid form and enter a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, which may pose a potential threat to public health. In this state,the morphological structure and physiological characteristics of H. Pylori have changed. It can maintain the metabolic activity but protein expression is decreased. And the H. Pylori in this state cannot grow in the culture medium. Conditions such as environmental factors, antibiotics, and inhibitors can induce H. Pylori to enter the VBNC state, but it is still not known whether H. pylori in the VBNC state can reactivate or not. Based on the cell membrane integrity and metabolic activity of H. pylori in the VBNC state, it can be detected by classical methods including direct microscopy of live bacteria and molecular biological methods such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. H. pylori in the VBNC state has been detected in water source and biological media. It has been also found that H. pylori can enter the VBNC state in artificially contaminated food, which poses challenges to public health and food safety. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the change pattern and detection methods of H. pylori in the VBNC state for the prevention and control of H. pylori in the VBNC state. It is valuable to further study the underlying mechanisms of H. pylori in the VBNC state.幽门螺杆菌是人类常见病原体之一，可引起慢性胃炎、消化性溃疡甚至胃癌等疾病。近年来研究发现幽门螺杆菌可由螺旋形变为球形，进入活的非可培养(viable but non-culturable，VBNC)状态，可能对公众健康构成潜在威胁。在该状态下，幽门螺杆菌的形态结构、生理特征发生了改变，能够保持代谢活性但蛋白质表达下降，同时丧失了在培养基上的生长能力。环境因素、抗生素及抑制剂类物质等条件可诱导幽门螺杆菌进入VBNC状态，但VBNC状态幽门螺杆菌能否复苏尚不明确。基于VBNC状态幽门螺杆菌细胞膜完整且具有代谢活性等特性，可使用活菌直接镜检法等经典方法以及反转录聚合酶链反应等分子生物学方法对其进行检测。目前VBNC状态幽门螺杆菌已在水体环境及生物媒介体内检出，且幽门螺杆菌可在人工污染的食品中进入VBNC状态，这给公共卫生和食品安全带来了挑战。因此，研究VBNC状态幽门螺杆菌的变化规律、检测方法等，对今后VBNC状态幽门螺杆菌的防控及其相关机制研究具有重要意义。.