stomach ulcers: the fight against the Helicobacter pylori bacterium

Stomach ulcers: the fight against the Helicobacter pylori bacterium

December 21, 2025

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By Sylvie Riou-Milliot THE Subscribers

Present in the stomach of one in two people worldwide, and one in five in France, this bacterium is responsible for gastric disorders, most often asymptomatic, which can develop into ulcers or cancer. While it can now be diagnosed and eradicated with antibiotics, the problem of more widespread screening within the population remains.

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Helicobacter pylori

Featuring a helical shape and flagella – filaments that allow it to move – the bacterium Helicobacter pylori it lodges in the mucus that lines the walls of the stomach.

SPL / BSIP – SPL/ SWEET AND SAVORY

This article is taken from the monthly magazine Sciences et Avenir n°946, dated December 2025.

No, not all stomach ulcers are stress-related or painful. Seven out of ten are due to Helicobacter pyloriOne is a small, discreet, spiral-shaped, and motile bacterium; the other three are linked to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or aspirin. Exclusively human, this bacterium is present in the stomach of one in two people worldwide, one in five in France, and its role in chronic stomach inflammation is no longer in question.

Ulcer Helicobacter pylori Bacterium

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