H. pylori is a bacteria that frequently causes gastric ulcers, is associated with iron deficiency, and is also a significant risk factor for gastric cancer. Noto et al. investigated the influence of iron on H. pylori-induced gastric cancer. Using a gerbil model of the disease, they found that low iron levels accelerated the development of cancerous lesions. The frames above are electron micrographs of H. pylori in gerbils fed a low-iron diet. Interestingly, H. pylori strains isolated from a human population at high risk for gastric cancer were more virulent and produced greater inflammation if they came from patients with low iron levels.
Gastric adenocarcinoma is strongly associated with
Jennifer M. Noto, Jennifer A. Gaddy, Josephine Y. Lee, M. Blanca Piazuelo, David B. Friedman, Daniel C. Colvin, Judith Romero-Gallo, Giovanni Suarez, John Loh, James C. Slaughter, Shumin Tan, Douglas R. Morgan, Keith T. Wilson, Luis E. Bravo, Pelayo Correa, Timothy L. Cover, Manuel R. Amieva, Richard M. Peek Jr.