Connect Sign InA Guide to Helicobacter pylori Disease Diagnostics and Treatment
Helicobacter pylori infects half of the earth’s population, is associated with several severe gastric illnesses including peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer, and causes significant morbidity in its human host. Infection rates are highly variable worldwide and within developed nations; (e.g. arctic communities in the USA and Canada). The complex mechanisms of pathogenesis utilized by H. pylori make it a difficult pathogen to combat clinically. Several trends in the field of H. pylori have evolved recently, drastically changing the way that these infections are managed. This seminar reviews the current challenges facing H. pylori disease management by reviewing the major aspects of pathogenesis, epidemiology, testing strategies, treatment strategies, and issues concerning medical reimbursement.
Dr. Couturier is the medical director of Microbial Immunology and the assistant medical director of Parasitology and Fecal Testing and Infectious Disease Rapid Testing at ARUP. He is also an assistant professor of pathology at the University Of Utah School Of Medicine. Dr. Couturier received his PhD in medical microbiology and immunology with specialty in bacteriology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He served as a research associate/post-doctoral fellow at the Alberta Provincial Laboratory for Public Health and completed a medical microbiology fellowship (ABMM) at the University of Utah. His research interests include Helicobacter pylori diagnostics and population prevalence, in particular identifying populations with increased risk of infection and reduced access to medical care. Dr. Couturier also has a research focus aimed at developing improved diagnostics for emerging agents of infectious gastroenteritis. He is board certified in medical microbiology, and a member of the American Society for Microbiology and the Infectious Disease Society of America.
