Young children in developing countries are infected at an early age with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which can cause peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. New findings show that childrens´ immune responses help in fighting the bacteria. In addition, breastfeeding and better hygiene appear to protect against infection.
The results from the study suggest that breastfeeding can protect children against early infection with the peptic ulcer bacterium. Breastmilk contains antibodies, that is molecules that can bind onto foreign substances, for example bacteria, and help prevent infection.
However, at the age of two years half the children in the study were infected with peptic ulcer bacteria. Around ten per cent of the children nevertheless managed to get rid of the infection. This was probably due to the children themselves producing antibodies to the infection. It also emerged that more children are infected in the spring and autumn than at other times of the year.
The pattern of infection is similar to that of other infectious diseases, such as cholera. This supports the notion that important sources of infection for peptic ulcer bacteria are vomiting and diarrhoea from people affected by acute gastrointestinal infections.
Another possible measure to prevent infection is to try to develop a vaccine that can be given to young children. The new knowledge on how childrens´ antibodies and immune systems function during the early course of infection may help in designing new vaccines against the peptic ulcer bacterium. The task of the vaccine is to prevent the infection and consequently secondary diseases, which may be peptic ulcer and, in the worst case, stomach cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer around the world.
