Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a pathogenic bacteria that colonizes the human stomach. About 50% of adults worldwide are infected with H. pylori, but not every infection causes symptoms. However, compared to uninfected individuals, those with an infection are three to six times more likely to develop gastric cancer. [1]
H. pylori is capable of reducing stomach acid, which leads to gastric microbial overgrowth and higher proportions of other potentially pathogenic microbes. It can also cause the formation of biofilm—a structured collection of microbes suspended in a protective matrix—which promotes abnormal bacterial colonization in the stomach.[2]