38 years Journey of Helicobacter pylori: Where it is now?

摘要

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), previously namedCampylobacter pylori, was first isolated in 1982 frompatients with chronic gastritis or gastric ulcers inWestern Australia. Barry J. Marshall and Robin Warren,two Australian researchers, have been awarded NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine for this Nobeldiscovery.1 It is also linked to the development ofduodenal ulcers and stomach cancer. Helicobacterpylori is a gram-negative bacterium that colonizeshuman stomach and now is an established cause ofchronic superficial gastritis, chronic active gastritis,peptic ulcer disease and gastric adenocarcinoma. Beforethis discovery, it was a belief that stress and lifestylefactors were the two major causes of peptic ulcerdisease. Marshall and Warren braked that dogma, and itwas soon clear that H. pylori, causes more than 90% ofduodenal ulcers and up to 80% of gastric ulcers.