Studies offer new insights for treating stomach infections

Researchers have discovered a new approach to preventing or treating a stomach bacterium associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer as well as gastritis and duodenal ulcers. Writing in the journal 'Nature Microbiology', a team of researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Duisburg-Essen at Essen University Medical Centre and the University of Bristol, detail how they discovered a completely new approach to infections related to the Helicobacter pylori bacterium. Helicobacter pylori , otherwise known as H. pylori , is a spiral bacterium that lives in the lining of the stomach. Infections commonly occur during childhood, colonising the human stomach. Once someone has H. pylori , it stays in the stomach throughout life and can be fatal, unless it is treated with particular antibiotics. However antibiotics not only destroy the bacterium itself but also the 'good germs' of the gut flora. At a time when H. pylori infection is developing increasing resistance, this new discovery could prove vital in treating diseases caused by this species.