The Battle of the Stomach By Reyes Abila Helicobacter pylori bacteria wage an invasion on the body that is reminiscent of the fabled Grecian assault upon Troy. Like the Greek soldiers hiding inside the Trojan Horse, this microbial assailant, suspected to be the chief cause of duodenal and gastric ulcers, is intent on penetrating the stomach's secretions to embed itself in the mucous lining, where it causes the most damage. Dr. Walter Peterson, professor of internal medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, believes the answer to how H. pylori infection damages the stomach lining may be found in studying the remarkable adaptive functions the bacteria have developed. Another important factor is that H. pylori infection induces a transient state of acid suppression.
Most people acquire the infection during childhood.
It is not known how the infection is spread although the infection rate appears to be decreasing. Physicians are now concentrating on eradicating the infection in adults who have ulcers. The only treatments approved in the United States are combinations of the antibiotic clarithromycin with either omeprazole or ranitidine bismuth citrate. These drugs are taken for 14 days and reduce stomach acid. H. pylori likes some acid, but not too much nor too little.