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An African origin for the intimate association between humans and Helicobacter pylori

Author

Listed:
  • Bodo Linz

    (Max-Planck Institut für Infektionsbiologie, D-10117 Berlin, Germany)

  • François Balloux

    (Theoretical and Molecular Population Genetics Group, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK)

  • Yoshan Moodley

    (Max-Planck Institut für Infektionsbiologie, D-10117 Berlin, Germany)

  • Andrea Manica

    (Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK)

  • Hua Liu

    (Theoretical and Molecular Population Genetics Group, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK)

  • Philippe Roumagnac

    (Max-Planck Institut für Infektionsbiologie, D-10117 Berlin, Germany)

  • Daniel Falush

    (University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK)

  • Christiana Stamer

    (Max-Planck Institut für Infektionsbiologie, D-10117 Berlin, Germany)

  • Franck Prugnolle

    (Génétique et Evolution des Maladies Infectieuses, UMR IRD-CNRS 2724, centre IRD de Montpellier, 911 Avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier Cedex 05, France)

  • Schalk W. van der Merwe

    (University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa)

  • Yoshio Yamaoka

    (Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA)

  • David Y. Graham

    (Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA)

  • Emilio Perez-Trallero

    (Donostia Hospital, 20014 San Sebastian, Spain)

  • Torkel Wadstrom

    (Lund University, SE22632 Lund, Sweden)

  • Sebastian Suerbaum

    (Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Krankenhaushygiene, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany)

  • Mark Achtman

    (Max-Planck Institut für Infektionsbiologie, D-10117 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

Travelling companions More than half of all humans are infected by the gut bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which can cause peptic ulcers and is a risk factor for stomach cancer. A major study of genetic variation in H. pylori isolates shows that the key patterns in the distribution of its genetic diversity mirror those of its human host. As in humans, there is a continuous loss of genetic diversity with increasing distance from East Africa, suggesting that humans were already infected with the ulcer-causing bacterium around 58,000 years ago when they migrated out of Africa. Humans and H. pylori also seem to have spread from East Africa over the same time scale, suggesting that their association predates the 'out of Africa' event. The team also found that the genetic make-up of H. pylori is more diverse than that of humans, so analyses of the microorganism's DNA might aid future work.

Suggested Citation

  • Bodo Linz & François Balloux & Yoshan Moodley & Andrea Manica & Hua Liu & Philippe Roumagnac & Daniel Falush & Christiana Stamer & Franck Prugnolle & Schalk W. van der Merwe & Yoshio Yamaoka & David Y, 2007. "An African origin for the intimate association between humans and Helicobacter pylori," Nature, Nature, vol. 445(7130), pages 915-918, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:445:y:2007:i:7130:d:10.1038_nature05562
    DOI: 10.1038/nature05562
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    Cited by:

    1. Harry A. Thorpe & Elise Tourrette & Koji Yahara & Filipa F. Vale & Siqi Liu & Mónica Oleastro & Teresa Alarcon & Tsachi-Tsadok Perets & Saeid Latifi-Navid & Yoshio Yamaoka & Beatriz Martinez-Gonzalez , 2022. "Repeated out-of-Africa expansions of Helicobacter pylori driven by replacement of deleterious mutations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Kaisa Thorell & Zilia Y. Muñoz-Ramírez & Difei Wang & Santiago Sandoval-Motta & Rajiv Boscolo Agostini & Silvia Ghirotto & Roberto C. Torres & Daniel Falush & M. Constanza Camargo & Charles S. Rabkin, 2023. "The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project: insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.

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