page_title: Timeline of peptic ulcer disease and Helicobacter pylori
section_title: 1970–21st century
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of peptic ulcer disease and Helicobacter pylori / 1970–21st century
caption_attribution_description: Endoscopic image of linitis plastica, where the entire stomach is invaded with gastric cancer, leading to a leather bottle like appearance. Released into public domain on permission of patient.
context_page_description: This is a timeline of the events relating to the discovery that peptic ulcer disease and some cancers are caused by H. pylori. In 2005, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery that peptic ulcer disease was primarily caused by Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium with affinity for acidic environments, such as the stomach. As a result, PUD that is associated with H. pylori is currently treated with antibiotics used to eradicate the infection. For decades prior to their discovery, it was widely believed that PUD was caused by excess acid in the stomach. During this time, acid control was the primary method of treatment for PUD, to only partial success. Among other effects, it is now known that acid suppression alters the stomach milieu to make it less amenable to H. pylori infection.
context_section_description: 1971
  Howard Steer observes H. pylori from biopsies of a patient with ulcers.
  1972
  The first report of successfully using furazolidone (an antibacterial agent) to treat PUD in China.
  1974
  Morozov observes H. pylori; he does not connect this discovery to PUD.
  A well regarded study of PUD is published which does not mention bacteria.
  1975
  Steer and Colin-Jones publish their results regarding H. pylori and its relation to PUD. They decide that it was Pseudomonas, a contaminant, and not related to PUD.
  1978
  At a meeting of the American Gastroenterology Association in Las Vegas, several papers are presented which suggest that acid control via H₂ blockers is ineffective at curing PUD.
  1979
  Ramsey publishes a study demonstrating that bismuth can help eradicate PUD. Bismuth is an antibacterial agent, although this is not recognized by Ramsey.
  J. Robin Warren first observes H. pylori in a gastric biopsy.
  Fung, Papadimitriou, and Matz observe H. pylori.
  1981
  Yao Shi observes bacteria in the stomach, but he believes they are passing through the stomach and not colonizing it.
  July: Barry Marshall joins gastroenterology division of Royal Perth Hospital and meets Robin Warren
  October: Marshall and Warren successfully treat their first PUD patient with antibiotics.
  1982
  Satoha et al. find evidence for an infectious cause of ulcers in rats.
  Marshall and Warren begin their first study to determine the relationship between H. pylori and PUD.
  First successful culturing of H. pylori performed; it occurs almost by accident.
  October: Marshall discovers the bacteria he is investigating are not campylobacteria, by looking at electron micrographs.
  October 2: Marshall presents his and Warren's results at a local College of Physicians meeting. He meets with criticism, which Marshall later admits was well-founded (at least in part).
  1983
  January: Two letters authored by Warren and Marshall, respectively, are sent to The Lancet describing their results.
  February: Gastroenterological Society of Australia rejects Marshall's abstract to present his research at their yearly conference. They deem it in the bottom 10% of papers submitted. The same abstract is accepted for presentation at a Campylobacter workshop in Brussels.
  April: Marshall and Ian Hislop begin a study to compare bismuth treatment with cimetidine. The study is abandoned because it is inconclusive.
  June: Warren and Marshall's letter appears in The Lancet.
  September: H. pylori is observed in patients outside of Australia.
  After the appearance of the letters in The Lancet, groups around the world begin isolating H. pylori.
  1984
  A paper describing Marshall and Warren's results is accepted by the Gastroenterological Society of Australia for presentation.
  Marshall and Goodwin attempt to infect pigs with H. pylori in an attempt to demonstrate that it causes PUD. The experiment fails.
  Marshall and Warren's paper is accepted by The Lancet in May and published in June. Many reviewers dislike the paper.
  McNulty and Watson are able to reproduce Marshall and Warren's results.
  June 12: Marshall intentionally consumes H. pylori and becomes ill. He takes antibiotics and is relieved of his symptoms.
  The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia fully funds Marshall's research into H. pylori.
  A study is published in China about the effectiveness of treating PUD with an antibacterial agent.
  July 31: The New York Times publishes an article by its medical correspondent Dr. Lawrence K. Altman on the possible link between H. pylori and PUD. He states in 2002, "I’ve never seen the medical community more defensive or more critical of a story" since he joined the newspaper in 1969.
  Thomas Borody developed the bismuth-based "Triple Therapy" consisting of bismuth and two antibiotics. This became the first truly successful treatment for H. pylori with an eradication rate greater than 90%.
  1985
  Marshall publishes the results of self-induced infection.
  Borody patents the bismuth-based triple therapy.
  1987
  Drumm and colleagues following a study of children reported in the New England Journal of Medicine t
caption: Gastric cancer
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