Tackling the sinister stomach bug

PA 08/10 A common stomach bug which can cause gastric ulcers and even stomach cancer is the target of a new piece of research by scientists at The University of Nottingham. Around half of the world's population carries the bacterium 'Helicobacter pylori' which is often picked up in childhood and lives in their stomach throughout their lives unless treated. Most people have no symptoms from it; however in some people the inflammation caused by the bacterium can lead to ulcers or cancer in later life. Researchers in the Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit (run jointly by the University and NHS) have been awarded nearly £216,000 by Cancer Research UK to investigate how some strains of the bacteria produce a potent toxin and how that can cause the pre-cancerous changes which underlie stomach cancer. The ultimate aim of this research is to identify the particular strains of the Helicobacter pylori bacterium which tend to cause cancer so that people carrying these strains can be given antibiotics to get rid of the infection. Previous research has revealed that Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer is not only due to the toxic nature of the infecting strain, but also depends on the genetic susceptibility of the person and environmental factors. The scientists believe that the bacterium manipulates the immune system so that it can persist in the stomach virtually throughout people's lives and this is the basis of other research currently being performed by the Nottingham group.