Human infection with H. pylori is common; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately two-thirds of the world's population harbors the bacterium, with infection rates much higher in developing nations than in Europe and North America.
H. pylori is thought to be spread either through contaminated food and water or through direct mouth-to-mouth contact. In most populations, the bacterium is first acquired during childhood. Children living in crowded conditions and with a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to become infected.
It has been estimated that between two percent to 20 percent of people infected with H. pylori will develop ulcers. Some evidence also links H. pylori infection to gastric cancer, gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and perhaps pancreatic cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, the majority of people infected with H. pylori will not become ill from the bacteria.
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