H. pylori · Visual journey
From the body to the tissue, to see how inflammation changes the lining.
Organ
Its wall contains the lining: the surface where H. pylori can persist.
Tissue
Its glands look like tightly packed, orderly tubes. There are very few immune cells between them.
Under the microscope
Between the glands, the many small purple dots are immune cells that have accumulated with inflammation.
Compare the tissueThe sequence moves through the body, an anatomical diagram of the stomach, the organization of its lining, and a real biopsy with H. pylori-associated gastritis.
Evidence under the microscope
The stain makes the glands pink and the nuclei purple. Look between the glands: when that space fills with small purple dots, lymphocytes, a type of immune cell, are present.
No inflammationThese pink columns are glands. There are few small purple dots between them.
With gastritisNow the small purple dots accumulate and fill the space between the glands. They are lymphocytes that arrived with the inflammation.
Over the years, this inflammation can leave a mark on the stomach lining.
What can happen over time
Chronic H. pylori infection causes gastritis and increases the risk of stomach cancer. Many people with the infection never develop it.
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What the polyp means, how to read its report, and when your next colonoscopy is due.
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The diagrams were simplified to show one idea per frame. The dramatic reveal is based on the cited biopsy; the immediate comparison uses the original micrographs with tighter framing.
Sources verified August 14, 2026.
