Characterization of "Campylobacter pyloridis" by culture, enzymatic profile, and protein content.

"Campylobacter pyloridis" has been recently described as a gastritis-associated bacterium. We studied 20 strains. The bacteria had most of the characteristics of Campylobacter spp. strains. They were hippurate negative and tolerant to triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (at 0.4 and 1 mg/ml). They grew on all the media commonly used in laboratories, although chocolate agar was the most effective for isolation. They grew in a microaerophilic atmosphere as well as in an atmosphere enriched in CO2 and when incubated at 37 degrees C but not at 30 or 42 degrees C. A total of 31 enzymes were present among the 78 studied. gamma-Glutamyl-transpeptidase activity was, in addition to urea hydrolysis, an interesting feature for the identification of these bacteria. The protein profiles of the 20 strains were similar.