Choosing optimal first-line Helicobacter pylori therapy: a view from a region with high rates of antibiotic resistance.

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, microaerophilic spiral bacillus that is associated with life-threatening diseases such as gastric cancer, gastric MALT lymphoma, and peptic ulcer disease. The definition of an effective therapy is one that achieves at least a 90% eradication rate on a per-protocol basis with the first attempt. Eradication rates of H.