Scientists working to develop a vaccine for the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the primary cause of ulcers and a contributor to stomach cancers, have uncovered new intricacies in the way the bacterium sticks to the lining of the human stomach. A multinational team of researchers showed that babA, a protein that helps H. pylori stay in the stomach, has evolved in many strains of the bacteria in Latin America. The protein is used by virulent strains of H. pylori that are the targets of a long-term vaccine development effort.
