A patient diagnosed with H pylori asks the nurse, "How an infection can occur in the stomach since it is an acid environment?" The nurse responds,

Question

A)
"We have many infectious agents that can live in an acidic environment with a pH more than 8.0."
B)
"H. pylori is a virus and is still being researched as to how it is able to survive in the stomach acids."
C)
"H. pylori produces an enzyme called urease that converts gastric juices into ammonia, which neutralizes the acidic stomach environment."
D)
"This parasite secretes an enzyme called coagulase, which protects the pathogen from the antibodies."

Answer 1

Ans:
C

Feedback:

H. pylori, the infectious cause of gastritis and gastric ulcers, produces the urease enzyme on the outer cell wall. The urease converts gastric urea into ammonia, thus neutralizing the acidic environment of the stomach and allowing the organism to survive in this hostile environment.