INTESTINAL METAPLASIA WITH ADHERENT HELICOBACTER-PYLORI - A HYBRID EPITHELIUM WITH BOTH GASTRIC AND INTESTINAL FEATURES

Helicobacter pylori seem to avoid areas of intestinal metaplasia in th e gastric mucosa, but attachment of these bacteria to epithelium with the appearance of incomplete intestinal metaplasia has been documented . To characterize the nature of the epithelium to which H pylori was a ttached, we carried out an immunohistochemical study using monoclonal antibodies against gastric surface mucous cell mucins (M1), blood grou p-related carbohydrates antigens (Le(a), sialyl Le(a), Le(b), type 1H, and type PH) and sialyl Tn antigen. The results of this study suggest that these areas of H pylori attachment represent a hybrid epithelium whose cells share characteristics of both gastric surface mucous cell s and intestinal metaplastic cells. Whether all areas of incomplete in testinal metaplasia represent an intermediate stage between the normal gastric epithelium and the fully developed complete type of metaplasi a remains to be determined. Copyright (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Compan y.