Detection of Helicobacter pylori associated with zooplankton

Helicobacter pylori was isolated from marine zooplankton, and characterized by standard microbiological tests, by PCR amplification of vacA and cagA gene fragments, and by comparative sequence analysis of the vacA PCR product. In a viable-but-non-culturable (VBNC) state, this isolate, as well as the reference strain H. pylori ATCC 43629, could be re-activated only when incubated in the presence of the marine copepod Tigriopus fulvus, and not in its absence. Isolate and type strain of H. pylori were found to be associated to the surface of T. fulvus, which supports speculations about a potential role of copepods in H. pylori survival and transmission.