Spiral and flagella
Corkscrew motility helps it move in mucus.
Identity is a microaerophilic Gram-negative helix with flagella and a urease habit, living under mucus rather than in acid juice itself.
Most infections are silent for years. A subset become ulcers; a smaller subset sit on the gastric-cancer pathway.
Traits
Urease
Ammonia from urea is the textbook shield against gastric acid.
CagA talk
Some strains inject CagA, a protein discussed in cancer epidemiology — a marker, not a DIY target.
Childhood acquire
Infection is often a family story of crowding and sanitation, not a restaurant spice.
Nobel ulcer
The 2005 prize fixed the infection idea in public memory.
Not all gastritis
Alcohol, NSAIDs and autoimmunity also inflame stomachs. Tests distinguish.
Korea's falling seroprevalence is a public-health curve, not a personal clearance certificate.
Keep exploring
More in Encounters
Influenza
A winter respiratory virus of drift and rare shift — surveillance and vaccines, not a cartoon villain.
Familiarity 93Tuberculosis
An airborne bacillus of latency and long care — programmes and air, not a drug recipe.
Familiarity 70Escherichia coli
Usually a gut resident; a minority of STEC pathotypes drive foodborne headlines.
Familiarity 82Staphylococcus aureus
A common skin neighbor and a resistance story called MRSA — not scare porn.
Familiarity 78Norovirus
A very-low-dose gut virus of schools and ships — soap and bleach surfaces, not alcohol-gel faith.
Familiarity 80