Helicobacter pylori, a species of bacteria, was implicated as a cause of stomach ulcers during the 1980's and antibiotics along with other medications have proven successful for treating these ulcers.
Now H.
pylori has been associated with high blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes as well.
In a study reported on in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation in June 2013, researchers at Changua Christian Hospital and China Medical University in Taiwan looked at H.
pylori infection and blood sugar control.
A total of 2070 people being seen for digestive system complaints were recruited...

• the people with H.
  pylori infections were found to have higher HbA1c levels and lower insulin sensitivity than those without H.
  pylori.
  
• among those with H.
  pylori, 5.
  78 percent had Type 2 diabetes, compared with 5.
  69 percent of those without H.
  pylori.
  
• people over 65 years of age with H.
  pylori showed high levels of HbA1c and Type 2 diabetes.
  
• those people under 45 years of age with H.
  pylori were found to have lower insulin secretion and sensitivity than people without the infection.
  

From this information it was concluded screening people for H.
pylori infection as well as measuring their HbA1c levels, might detect individuals at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, giving doctors the opportunity to prevent the disease from developing.
H.
pylori infection is acquired when individuals take in food or water contaminated with fecal matter.
In countries with good sanitation, infection is rare in children, and is found in about 50 percent of adults.
In third world countries, most children have the infection by the age of 10.
Three tests are available for detecting this particular infection.
A drop of blood can be taken from a finger prick and antibodies to the bacteria can be detected in a few minutes at most.
The urea breath test requires drinking a solution that is broken down by H.
pylori.
Measuring urea in the breath can tell whether H.
pylori has broken down the solution.
Stool tests are also available.
Antibiotics frequently used for eradicating this bacteria include tetracycline, metronidazole, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin.
They are generally prescribed to be taken for 7 to 14 days for stomach ulcers...

• Tetracycline works by preventing growth and spread of bacteria.
  It is taken four times per day at evenly spaced intervals to keep the amount in the body the same at all times.
  
• Metronidazole works by interfering with bacterial DNA, preventing bacterial cells from reproducing.
  
• Clarithromycin interferes with bacterial ability to make proteins, so the bacterial cells are not able to grow.
  
• Amoxicillin is in the penicillin family and works by keeping bacteria from making their cell walls.
  

Individuals at risk for high blood sugar levels and Type 2 diabetes should consider discussing the possibility of screening for H.
pylori with their doctor.