Stomach bacteria need vitamin to establish infection, research finds

Scientists have determined that Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes peptic ulcers and some forms of stomach cancer, requires the vitamin B6 to establish and maintain chronic infection, according to new research. This finding, along with the identification of the enzyme the microbe requires to utilize the vitamin, could lead to the development of an entirely new class of antibiotics.

Etiological role for H. pylori in autoimmune gastritis

Autoimmune type atrophic gastritis is a severe gastric atrophy associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. The reason for the disappearance of acid secreting cells from gastric mucosa is not fully understood, but the role of Helicobacter pylori in initiating the mucosal damage is suspected in animal studies. A study found signs of previous H. pylori infection in patients with autoimmune type atrophic gastritis.