What are Helicobacter pylori?
Helicobacter pylori is a type of bacteria, responsible for the majority of peptic ulcers. H. pylori infection is common in the United States as well in other parts of the world. Scientists estimate that about 20 percent of people under the age of 40 and half of those over 60 have it. However, most infected people do not develop ulcers. Why H. pylori do not cause ulcers in all the infected is not clear. Most likely the course of an infection depends on the characteristics of the infected person. It is important to know the type of H. pylori and other factors that the doctor should discover. Researchers are not certain how people contract Helicobacter pylori, but they think it may be through contained food or water. Doctors even found this bacterium in the saliva of some infected people, so the bacteria may also spread through mouth-to-mouth contact such as kissing.
