What is Helicobacter pylori?

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), is a spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the stomach in about 50% of all humans. In countries with high socio-economic standards infection is considerably less common than in developing countries where virtually everyone may be infected.

Infection is typically contracted in early childhood, frequently by transmission from mother to child, and the bacteria may remain in the stomach for the rest of the person's life. This chronic infection is initiated in the lower part of the stomach (antrum). It lives in the mucus layer of the stomach, which sticks to the stomach lining.

The presence of H.pylori is directly associated with gastroduodenal pathologies to such an extent that it is the responsible agent in chronic gastritis, virtually in 100% of patients. It is found in 97% of duodenal ulcers and in 80% of gastric ulcers. It also has a substantial influence in gastric cancer.

The infection levels of H.pylori vary drastically from one country to another. In developed countries, for example, the prevalence of infection in young adults is low, but increases with age. However, in developing countries the infection is much more common, where more than half of the population is infected by the age of 10, with the incidence of infection rising to over 80% in young adults.

In 2005 the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to Barry Marshall and Robin Warren for their research and subsequent discovery that inflammation in the stomach (gastritis) as well as ulceration of the stomach or duodenum (peptic ulcer disease) is the result of an infection of the stomach caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.

Due to the prevalence of this bacterium, ISOMED has developed an innovative, non-invasive, non-radioactive and convenient breath test kit for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori called TAU-KIT.

For more detailed information regarding Helicobacter Pylori download this PDF from nobel prize.org (4.3Mb) or please visit our news and links sections.