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PetriKey

Bacterium

Helicobacter pylori

Curved urease-positive gastric rod

HEL-ih-koh-bak-ter pie-LOR-ee

Gram negativebacteriagram-negativecurvedureasegastricflagella

High-yield clue

Curved rod + urease positive + gastric mucosa clue.

Overview

A curved Gram-negative rod used to connect urease positivity, gastric mucosa vocabulary, and ulcer/cancer association concepts.

Classification

  • Gram-negative
  • Curved rod
  • Microaerophile concept

Lab & identification clues

  • Urease test vocabulary
  • Stool antigen/urea breath test terms
  • Curved morphology

Associations

  • Gastritis vocabulary
  • Peptic ulcer coursework association
  • MALT lymphoma/cancer association vocabulary

Commonly confused with

  • Campylobacter jejuni
  • Vibrio cholerae

Frequently asked questions

What is Helicobacter pylori?

A curved Gram-negative rod used to connect urease positivity, gastric mucosa vocabulary, and ulcer/cancer association concepts.

What is the Gram stain of Helicobacter pylori?

Helicobacter pylori is Gram negative.

What are the lab clues for Helicobacter pylori?

Lab clues for Helicobacter pylori include Urease test vocabulary, Stool antigen/urea breath test terms, and Curved morphology.

What is Helicobacter pylori commonly confused with?

Helicobacter pylori is commonly confused with Campylobacter jejuni and Vibrio cholerae.

Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.

OpenStax: Microbiology 2e organism classification foundations - sourceNCBI Bookshelf: Medical Microbiology organism chapters - sourceCDC: CDC disease and public-health topic pages - source