Coccoid Helicobacter pylori: An uncommon form of a common pathogen

Microscopic recognition remains a major component of diagnosing specific infectious agents or, at the minimum, an important first step in initiating a workup to confirm a specific infectious etiology. However, organisms are known to adapt in response to treatment, not only by developing resistance mechanisms but also undergoing major morphologic changes in some cases. Such morphologic adaptation can make them drastically different and hence difficult to recognize or characterize by an unwary examiner. The purpose of this article is to highlight a rare and unusual form of Helicobacter pylori referred to as coccoid H. pylori.