Frontiers Media, Frontiers in Medicine, (1)
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The actual mechanisms by which H. pylori can cause digestive diseases remain controversial. Interestingly, a sterile stomach as a historic taboo has been broken after successful H. pylori isolation by Marshall and Warren in 1983. Given its extraordinary biologic features, including high genetic variability, survival in the harsh conditions of the stomach, and special nitrogen metabolisms, H. pylori has gained a global interest to investigate various attributes regarding the infection. Indeed, the exceptional characteristics of H. pylori infection require a different strategy on how to deal with this bacterium. In the near future, new non-invasive and industrialized tests can help physicians detect the presence of various mutations for each isolated strain. Likewise, antibiotic prescription based on the determined mutational profile can increase the chance of successful treatment. Therefore, improved antibiotic therapy for H. pylori will soon become a reality in clinical practice. A change in old views can be a starting point to have a new scope of useful results in clinical practice. Indeed, reading this overview on H. pylori can afford the clinicians for reconsidering the current strategies or how to deal with this rogue bacterium as a superbug. Hopefully these perspectives will enable researchers to answer frequently asked questions regarding H. pylori in the near future.