Ulcer disease fascinates me. As a medical student and resident, the most common surgery at our VA Hospital was the Bilroth II. Stress and hyperacidity caused ulcers. Over the next decade we had the emergence of H2 blockers, which greatly decreased ulcer surgeries. Soon thereafter, we had the first proton pump inhibitor. And then this iconoclast - Barry Marshall (Smug as a bug ) figured out and proved that a bacteria caused most ulcer disease.

This discovery has revolutionized our care of patients with peptic ulcer disease. Many questions remain, as h. pylori remains a risk factor for gastric cancer, and probably has other important implications. This fascinating article describes new work on how h. pylori lives in the stomach. Apparently this gives us hope for a vaccine. This many represent a very important medical science advance. Study may show how to knock ulcer bugs for a loop