Campylobacter pylori, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease

Abstract

Peptic ulcer disease and other inflammatory gastroduodenal conditions are common throughout the world, but the pathophysiology of these conditions remains poorly understood. The presence of gastric bacteria has long been known, but their real significance is still uncertain. After Campylobacter pylori was rediscovered by Warren and Marshall in 1983 and showed that this organism was associated with histological gastritis, there has been a worldwide interest in this bacterium. Subsequently, their findings have been confirmed in various studies, both prospectively and retrospectively. It has been suggested that the organism may have a causative role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer. A review of the current status of C. pylori is presented together with the results of our investigations.