An endangered species in the stomach

Just as scientists were learning the importance of Helicobacter pylori they discovered that the bacteria are losing their foothold in the human digestive tract. Whereas nearly all adults in the developing world still carry the organism, its prevalence is much lower in developed countries such as the USA. Epidemiologists believe that H. pylori has been disappearing from developed nations for the past 100 years thanks to improved hygiene, which blocks the transmission of the bacteria, and to the widespread use of antibiotics. As H. pylori hasretreated, the rates of peptic ulcers and stomach cancer have dropped. But atthe same time, diseases of the esophagus, including acid reflux disease and aparticularly deadly type of esophageal cancer, have increased dramatically, and a wide body of evidence indicates that the rise of these illnesses is also related to the disappearance of H. pylori.