Helicobacter species and hepatobiliary diseases

Helicobacter species, which may colonize the biliary tract, have been implicated as a possible cause of hepatobiliary diseases ranging from chronic cholecystitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis to gall-bladder carcinoma and primary hepatic carcinomas. Research in this area has been limited by the lack of a gold standard in the diagnosis of these organisms in bile. Most published data to date have been based on molecular techniques that detect the DNA of Helicobacter species in bile, rather than evidence of viable organisms in bile. Helicobacter species have not been shown to induce histological injury to the biliary epithelium or liver parenchyma. The strongest association of the presence of these organisms in bile is with cholestatic conditions. This article reviews the literature on this newly developing field as it has evolved historically, taking pertinent methodological issues into account.