The spiral shaped bacterium Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with inflammation of the stomach and is also implicated in the development of gastric malignancy. H. pylori is known to cause peptic ulcers and chronic gastritis in human. It is associated with duodenal ulcers and may be involved in development of adenocarcimona and low-grade lymphoma of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue in the stomach. More recently this bacterium has also been implicated with a number of vascular disorders including heart disease. It is not clear how H. pylori is transmitted or why some patients become symptomatic while others do not. The bacteria are most likely spread from person to person through fecal-to-oral or oral-to-oral routes. Possible environmental reservoirs include contaminated water sources. Serological tests that measure specific H. pylori IgG antibodies can determine if a person has been infected although these methods do have drawbacks and limitations.