Cow Protein AIDS Gastrointestinal Therapy

Italian scientists say a bovine protein may help in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections, a major cause of upper gastrointestinal disorders.

The therapy currently used to treat H. pylori infection is unsuccessful in approximately 25 percent of cases. But the new study at the University of Pisa finds adding the cow protein called lactoferrin to the existing treatment might yield more effective results, with fewer side effects associated with common antibiotic treatment.

The study, led by Dr. Nicola de Bortoli, found the infection-causing bacterium was eliminated in more patients treated with the traditional therapy plus lactoferrin than with the existing treatments.

The research appears in the May issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.