GASTROSPIRILLUM-HOMINIS IN ASYMPTOMATIC, HEALTHY-INDIVIDUALS

Gastrospirillum hominis is a spiral-shaped bacterium found in the stom ach. It has been implicated as a possible cause of chronic gastritis. We report two cases of G. hominis colonization observed in a series of 175 healthy, asymptomatic volunteers investigated for Helicobacter py lori. None of the volunteers had symptoms or a history of gastrointest inal disease. Both carriers of G. hominis had histological signs of ch ronic, active antral gastritis. Multiple tests for H. pylori were nega tive. The prevalence of this spiral bacterium in healthy, asymptomatic individuals may be as low as in symptomatic persons.