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Figure 3.
The interplay between H. pylori and the effective T helper lymphocytes. Although Th1 and Th17 pathways are both responsible for promoting inflammatory activities during H. pylori infection, neither Th1 nor Th17 cells are by themselves capable of a spontaneous clearance of the infection. It could be due to an impaired release of cytokines, suggesting that a more pronounced inflammation during the early phase of infection could switch the events towards eradication. Th2 response has been implicated in reducing bacterial load but its protective role is still controversial and deserves further investigation. Treg cells limit local inflammation and tissue damage but at the same time this fact favours a tolerogenic status which leads to a persistent infection. This complex interplay suggests that the conflict between persistent infection and clearance is decided in the early phase of infection.