ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
This article is part of the Research TopicHelicobacter pylori: Evolution, Pathogenicity, and Implications for Gastric HealthView all articles
Candida serves as a reservoir facilitating associating with facilitating the survival and pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori
Provisionally accepted
- 1Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbiome and Infectious Disease Prevention & Control, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- 2Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education & Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- 3Guizhou Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratory, Guiyang, China
- 4Department of Hospital Infection and Management, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, guiyang, China
- 5The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, guiyuang, China
- 6the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, guiyang, China
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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a key pathogen in gastritis and gastric ulcers, noted for its high recurrence rates. H. pylori internalization into Candida vacuoles may enhance its survival and pathogenicity. In this study, we investigated the intrinsic association between H. pylori and Candida by performing H. pylori-related assays on Candida isolates obtained from clinical fecal samples, gastric mucosal tissues, and vaginal secretions. About 399 strains isolates of Candida were isolated from fecal samples of patients with digestive diseases. H. pylori antigens in feces and 16S rDNA within Candida isolates were detected, showing a significant correlation. After co-culturing H. pylori and Candida in vitro, H. pylori 16S rDNA-positive Candida (CacoHp) were obtained. In vitro, the CacoHp strain showed enhanced greater inhibitory and adhesive effects on GES-1 cells than standard Candida strain. H. pylori 16S rDNA was detected in CacoHp and Candida isolates obtained from gastric mucosal tissue and vaginal secretions. CacoHp and H. pylori 16S rDNA-positive clinical isolates exhibited urease activity, as evidenced by the color change of urea containing Sabouraud This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article glucose agar medium from yellow to red. Gene expression analysis indicated that the H. pylori ureA gene was expressed at low levels in the CacoHp and H. pylori 16S rDNA-positive clinical isolates under the experimental conditions.revealed that H. pylori ureA gene was expressed at low levels in the CacoHp strains. Using direct immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization, H. pylori antigens and genes were detected in CandidaDirect immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of H. pylori antigens and genes in Candida. Fluorescent staining indicated the potential presence of viable bacteria within Candida, suggesting that viable H. pylori might be present intracellularly within these Candida cells. These findings suggest that H. pylori may can persist within Candida, with potential implications for human health.
Keywords: Candida, Helicobacter pylori, internalization, Pathogenesis, Survival, Urea
Received: 23 Dec 2025; Accepted: 21 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Sun, Yang, Luo, Wang, Zhang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhenghong Chen
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