Survival of Helicobacter pylori in milk and tap water

The survival capacity of Helicobacter pylori in artificially contaminated m ilk and tap water was investigated in the study. Helicobacter pylori could survive for up to 10 days in milk at 4 degrees C storage but only 4 days in tap water with a steady decrease of colony forming units. However, electro n microscopy clearly showed that the non-culturable coccoid form was presen t in tap water which had been kept at 4 degrees C for 7 days. It is conclud ed that H. pylori may survive in tap water as well as in milk, with the imp lication that they may, thereby, act as a vehicle of transmission.