Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News
  • Published:

A tough controversy to stomach

The bacterium that causes stomach ulcers and deadly gastric cancer, Helicobacter pylori, is disappearing in many developed countries. Many physicians see this as cause for celebration. But at least one researcher thinks the bacterium is more than just a pathogen. Cassandra Willyard investigates whether H. pylori may be preventing diseases as well as causing them.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Willyard, C. A tough controversy to stomach. Nat Med 15, 836–839 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0809-836

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0809-836

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing