At our company, we often receive inquiries from customers regarding Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The World Health Organization (WHO)  has officially designated H. pylori as a definitive carcinogen, issuing warnings worldwide. Among bacteria, H. pylori is the only one recognized as a carcinogenic agent. This highlights the significant danger posed by H. pylori infection, which must be taken seriously. I believe its risk level should be considered  with past public health crises such as asbestos. Complicating matters further, the success rate of eradicating this bacterium with antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents has been steadily  declining, as drug-resistant strains have become increasingly prevalent. Bacteria that acquire resistance to one antimicrobial agent are more likely  to develop resistance to others as well, a phenomenon known as cross-resistance.

H. pylori that cannot be eradicated by medication can essentially be regarded as a complete carcinogen. Therefore, it is necessary for  governments and medical institutions to take this bacterium more seriously. Particularly in Japan, which stands out among developed nations  for the high prevalence of H. pylori, it is estimated that at least half the population is infected. Until fairly recently, the causes of the progression from gastritis to gastric ulcers and eventually gastric cancer were unknown. The discovery of  H. pylori confirmed that persistent infection with this bacterium is responsible for most cases of chronic gastritis. In Japan, the overuse of antibiotics and antimicrobial agents in medical settings poses a significant problem. As long as such medications  continue to be used indiscriminately, the emergence of highly drug-resistant strains of bacteria, such as H. pylori, is inevitable. The lack of  effective treatments for these resistant strains represents a critical threat to public health.