Our clinical research programme aims to increase the successful eradication of a bacterium that lives in the stomach and is the leading cause of stomach cancer.
Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) and stomach cancer disproportionately impact Māori and Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand. When H. pylori is identified and treated, stomach cancer can be prevented. However, the ability to successfully treat and eradicate H. pylori with commonly used antibiotics is declining due to increasing antibiotic resistance.
With collaborators at the University of Otago and Te Whatu Ora Hutt Valley, the Malaghan Institute is undertaking a clinical study to develop and validate new methodologies to test antibiotic susceptibility in H. pylori.
The aim of the study is to help healthcare specialists determine the antibiotic-resistance profile of H. pylori in at-risk individuals so they can prescribe individualised treatment regimens that better eradicate this bacteria – drastically lowering the risk of developing stomach cancer later in life.
What's the relationship between H.pylori and stomach cancer?
H.pylori is a bacteria that lives in the lining of the stomach. Usually contracted in childhood, most people don't realise they have an H. pylori infection because they rarely get sick from it. H. pylori infects the cells of the stomach, causing gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach lining.
While not inherently dangerous on its own, the bacterium is responsible for most stomach cancers in New Zealand. Left untreated, the inflammation from H.pylori can become chronic leading to tissue damage and ulcers and eventually, cancer. Stomach cancer continues to disproportionately impact Māori and Pacific populations, predominantly stemming from the higher prevalence of H. pylori infection among these groups.
H. pylori is commonly treated with antibiotics. However, the effectiveness at completely eradicating a H.pylori infection is declining due to increasing antibiotic resistance – with some strains of the bacterium being more resistant to treatment than others. In New Zealand, the current practice is to prescribe everyone the same antibiotics to treat H. pylori, without knowing if it is the right antibiotic regimen for that individual and without taking into account how resistant this bacteria is to antibiotics.
Please note: the Malaghan Institute is not a health provider or a healthcare facility
Please do not contact us regarding personal medical concerns or diagnosis as we are unable to offer treatment advice and will not reply to such enquiries. We are also unable to supply worms or provide recommendations for suppliers. Thank you.