Posted on 02/08/2007 3:53:13 PM PST by blam
Source: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Date: February 8, 2007
Prehistoric Origins Of Stomach Ulcers Uncovered
Science Daily — An international team of scientists has discovered that the ubiquitous bacteria that causes most painful stomach ulcers has been present in the human digestive system since modern man migrated from Africa over 60,000 years ago. The research, published online (7 February) by the journal Nature, not only furthers our understanding of a disease causing bacteria but also offers a new way to study the migration and diversification of early humans.
A cell of H.pylori, a bacterial pathogen of the human stomach. The curved shape of the cell, and its bundle of flagella which enable it to wriggle through mucus covering the cells lining the stomach, can be seen clearly. (Image Credit: Dr. Charles Penn, University of Birmingham)
The international research collaboration was led by scientists from the University of Cambridge, the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, and the Hanover Medical School. The researchers compared DNA sequence patterns of humans and the Helicobacter pylori bacteria now known to cause most stomach ulcers. They found that the genetic differences between human populations that arose as they dispersed from Eastern Africa over thousands of years are mirrored in H. pylori.
Human DNA analysis has shown that along the major land routes out of Africa human populations become genetically isolated - the further from Eastern Africa a population is the more different genetically it is compared to other human populations. Other research has shown gradual differences in European populations, presumed to be the result of Neolithic farmers moving northwards. The international H. pylori research team found almost exactly the same genetic distribution patterns in their results.
The scientists combined their genetic analysis with a computer simulation the modelled the spread of the bacteria across the globe. This showed that it migrated from Eastern Africa at almost exactly the same time as early humans, approximately 60,000 years ago.
The UK research effort was led by Dr Francois Balloux, a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council-funded scientist at the University of Cambridge. He said: "Humans and this ulcer-causing bacterium have been intimately linked for the last 60,000 years. The research not only shows the likelihood that for tens of thousands of years our ancestors have been suffering the effects of this bacteria but it also opens up new possibilities for understanding early human migration. By showing that Helicobacter pylori emerged from Africa at the same time as early humans it makes it easier to examine some of the controversial questions about human migration. For example we could use our understanding of the bacteria's spread to gauge poorly understood human population shifts in Europe, Africa and Asia."
Notes
The paper, 'An African origin for the intimate association between humans and Helicobacter pylori', is published by Nature Advance Online Publication at 1800 Wednesday 7 February 2007. The digital object identifier for citations is 10.1038/nature05562
Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that infects the mucus lining of the stomach and duodenum.
Helicobacter bacteria are the only known microorganisms that can thrive in the highly acidic environment of the stomach. Its helical shape is thought to have evolved to penetrate and colonize the mucus lining.
Most cases of peptic ulcers and gastritis are caused by H. pylori, not spicy food and stress and spicy food as many thought until the 1990s. These conditions are now widely treated with antibiotics effective against the bacteria.
The international research collaboration was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Swedish Research Council and Lund University Hospital.
except for the part where we came "out of africa" more like 175,000 years ago...
I'm sure it's a coincidence.
L.O.L.
Doing the ulcering North Americans wouldn't do.
I had h. pylori last year and the cure for it was a nightmare. If it hadn't gone away, I told my gastro she would have to hospitalize me and do an IV drip before I would ever take that combo of meds again. Ghastly!
"Hey, you think it was easy, dragging your wife and kids along during migrating season with the wife always complaining and the kids asking 'Are we there yet?'"
I wondered how many posts would be posted before the wife remark came in. Somehow it occurred to me, too.
I suppose that depends on how you define we.
Stranger In A New Land (Archaeology)
"Stunning finds in the Republic of Georgia upend long-standing ideas about the first hominids to journey out of Africa.
I guess that makes us all African-American, n'est pas?
"Most cases of peptic ulcers and gastritis are caused by H. pylori, not spicy food and stress and spicy food as many thought until the 1990s. These conditions are now widely treated with antibiotics effective against the bacteria.
Just remember, not ALL cases, only most. The gastrointestinologists test for it, and if it's not there, then your ulcer is caused by something else.
I suffered from ulcer problems for 20 years. Had to sleep sitting upright many nights. Couldn't have a beer. Spent a fortune on Maalox and Tums. Had many upper GI studies performed. Took every new medicine that came around. Finally asked a new internist about an H.Pylori test. Came back positive. A simple two week regime of an antibiotic and Prilosec cured me. Had a terrible taste in my mouth during the last week. But I was cured! Thirteen years without pain or Maalox. No diet restrictions. There are some indications that h. pylori may be the cause of several problems including coronary and arterial. Don't hesitate to ask your doc for the blood test. It could improve your quality of life.
I remember the scorn heaped on the first researcher to say that ulcers were caused by bacteria. He overturned a lot of received wisdom.
True, but he was only right in 80% of cases. Someone has to be in the other 20%.
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You are right though, my life is much better than it was before getting rid of the h. pylori. I still have to take a proton-pump inhibitor every day, but the one pill takes care of everything
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