Getting rid of unwanted visitors
Friday, September 20, 2013 - 12:30
in Health & Medicine
Gut-dwelling bacteria are attracting attention, particularly those associated with human diseases. Helicobacter pylori is found in the stomach of humans, where it may cause chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, although the majority of infections are asymptomatic. The bacterium has been associated with humans for more than 100,000 years, when it first infected San hunter-gatherers. An international consortium has discovered that the Baka pygmies of Cameroon, another community of hunter-gatherers, have a surprisingly low rate of Helicobacter infection.