In the early 1980s, two Australian doctors, Warren and Marshall, found a bacterium that lived in the lower half of the stomach. This bacterium had found a way of concealing itself in the stomach lining in such a way, that it could not be attacked and destroyed like other bacteria that found its way into the stomach.

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They were unsure whether the bacterial infection caused caused the gastritis or whether the gastritis allowed the infection to flourish. Dr Marshall infected himself with the bacteria, developed gastritis, and then cured himself with a course of antibiotics. This proved that the bacteria caused the gastritis.

This bacteria was always associated with a microscopic inflammation of the stomach lining, called gastritis. This bacteria has since been associated with chronic gastritis, active chronic duodenitis, duodenal ulcers and gastric ulceration. It also strongly linked to stomach cancer.

Initially this bacteria was called Campylobacter Pylori, but was recently renamed Helicobacter pylori. A particularly virulent strain of H.pylori is known as cytotoxin-associated gene A (cag A). This causes damage severe enough to produce precancerous changes.

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