Yet Blaser says we shouldn’t dismiss the notion that some strains of H. pylori could be beneficial. “If someone has an ulcer, no question that Helicobacter should be removed,” he says. As for getting rid of it altogether, “I think we don’t know enough. We need to learn more.”
After researching the bacteria for over two decades, Blaser has a new theory. “In biology, we talk about the idea of symbiosis, where two life forms help each other,” he says. Blaser believes that Helicobacter has become perfectly symbiotic with humans. “It helps us when we’re young, and kills us when we’re old,” he says. “That’s bad for the individual, but it’s good for the species.” The trick, Blaser says, is learning how to beat nature. He can envision a future where, once H. pylori is better understood, babies might be colonized with good strains of the bacteria to reap its protective benefits.
Barry Marshall’s opinion is different. “Maybe H. pylori did have a useful purpose in ancient history, because if you didn’t live very long, you could never develop stomach cancer,” he says. “But nowadays, it’s doing more harm than good.” When asked about the potential that this bacteria could have some positive health effects, he says: “Smoking helps prevent ulcerative colitis. The question is, if you get colitis, do you start smoking?” If H. pylori disappea
red altogether, Marshall says, “I think we’d be healthier.”
Back in Aklavik, those who tested positive for H. pylori will receive treatment in November. Researchers plan to follow up in January, and again in 2010. Ridding the community of the bacteria will be a challenge, Karen Goodman admits. “People can be resistant to treatment, and there are huge strain variations,” she says. Beyond that, there’s always the possibility of reinfection. Yet community education is another important goal of the program, which has already been hailed a success. The town of Old Crow in the Yukon has approached Goodman about taking it there next.
Over 20 years after H. pylori was discovered, the notion that stomach cancer and peptic ulcer disease—two conditions that have afflicted millions worldwide—can be fended off with an antibiotic treatment, is still a medical mind-blower. It’s provided hope to countless people, Buckle included. Before the team’s visit, “I could feel that people were scared,” she says. Afterwards, “there was a lift in the community. It made us feel like we’re not in a bad picture anymore.”
