The role of microorganisms in biliary tract disease.

The biliary tract is normally sterile, but bile-tolerant bacteria are frequently isolated from patients with cholecystitis. Since the identification of about 25 Helicobacter species, some of which may grow in bile, studies have addressed the role of these organisms in primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and cholelithiasis. Most of these bacteria show the presence of Helicobacter DNA or antigens in the bile tract and in liver samples. Altogether, data from studies on biliary and hepatic diseases, as well as pancreatic disorders, suggest that bile-tolerant Helicobacter species may induce a chronic infection with possible malignant transformation.