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Nature Medicine 6, 376 - 377 (2000)
doi:10.1038/74627

Linking Helicobacter pylori to gastric cancer

Martin J. Blaser1

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases Vanderbilt University School of Medicine A3310 Medical Center North Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2605, USA
    e-mail: martin.blaser@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu


Although Helicobacter pylori affects a large percentage of the population, only a small percentage of carriers develop peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Recent investigations have begun to identify the factors that lead to these complications.


Helicobacter pylori, a once-ubiquitous colonizer of the human stomach, is capable of persisting in its host for life. The incidence of H. pylori