Single and multiple cholesterol gallstones and the influence of bacteria.

Single and multiple cholesterol gallstones constitute at least 80% of the gallstone population observed at cholecystectomy in Western countries. While supersaturation of bile with cholesterol is necessary for gallstone growth, the kinetic determinant of crystal nucleation is perhaps the critical factor leading to the incidence of gallstones. Nucleation involves aggregation of nidus-forming materials like pigment precipitates and mucus proteins. In combination with cholesterol precipitates and crystal formation, gallstone propagation is enhanced. Bacterial species may augment the process of nucleation and gallstone growth by contributing specific enzyme activities resulting in the formation of insoluble precipitates in bile, or by acting as a nidus upon which the deposition of cholesterol crystals may initiate gallstone formation. The utilization of Raman microscopic techniques permits detailed mapping of the distribution of the gallstone components leading to identification and characterization of the site of nucleation. This, when coupled to molecular genetic tools such as PCR DNA amplification, would permit elucidation of the role of bacteria in vivo gallstone propagation mechanisms. Copyright 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.