Dr. T.V. Rao provides an overview of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the bacterium associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Some key points:
- H. pylori was discovered in 1983 by Warren and Marshall and linked to gastritis and ulcers. They received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
- H. pylori colonizes the stomach of about half of individuals worldwide. It is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped bacterium that lives in the mucus layer of the stomach.
- H. pylori infection can cause chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and in rare