A National Institutes of Health grant totaling $1.6 million has been awarded to a researcher at East Tennessee State University’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine to study a common “stomach bug” that affects more than half of the world’s population.
Lead investigator Dr. Stephen Trent said the project will focus on Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, and understanding the mechanisms by which it is able to live in the body for years.
“H. pylori is unique among most pathogens,” said Trent, an assistant professor of microbiology. “When most bacteria and viruses enter the body, their goal is to ‘get out’ as quickly as possible, which is why infected persons typically experience diarrhea and vomiting.
“But H. pylori is a chronic pathogen that can stay in the stomach for years before causing an illness. Consequently, most people with H. pylori aren’t aware they are infected.”
This bacteria has been linked to causing ulcers, severe gastritis, and can elevate a person’s risk for cancer. It can be transmitted from person to person through fecal-oral or oral-oral routes. Health care workers can diagnose H. pylori through a blood test.
He said, “We are interested in knowing why H. pylori can remain in the body for years. This knowledge at the basic science level would allow for mechanisms, such as medication, that could destroy the bacteria.”
Trent said he believes the answer to this question may lie in lipopolysaccharides that provide a protective armor for H. pylori.
“The bacteria has a defensive coating around it that mimics other healthy cells. We believe that the body’s own defense mechanisms recognize these cells as protective ones and will not attack them, and that is why H. pylori is able to survive.”
Trent’s project is classified as an R01, which is the highest level of grants funded by NIH.
He credits the work and mentorship of Dr. Priscilla Wyrick, ETSU chair of microbiology, in helping him to achieve this career milestone.

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