More than 60,000 years ago, humans emigrated out of the Rift Valley in Africa. And with modern man came the Helicobacter pylori bacterium, that thrives in certain stomach linings causing havoc (i.e. the discomfort of gastritis, the pain of stomach ulcers, the potential life emergency of internal bleeding).
H. pylori is the only organism which is known to be able to thrive in the caustic, acidic environment of the stomach. Stomach ulcers from H. Pylori are usually found in the duodenum and called duodenal ulcers (stomach contents empty into the duodenum; therefore, highly acidic), or in the lower part of the stomach (i.e. gastric ulcers).
This finding will help anthropologists to study early migration and diversification in a new light, as well as providing medicine with some clues for research.
Until the 1990s, it was widely believed that stress and spicy foods caused peptic ulcers and gastritis. Now, since discovering this very ancient bacteria that has been intimate enemy with man kind, we have an additional arsenal, mainly antibiotics, to stave off the feeding of this noxious bug.
del.icio.us
Digg this
