Is Helicobacter pylori infection contagious?

In general, *Helicobacter pylori* is moderately contagious. Its primary transmission routes are fecal-oral and oral-oral transmission. Since *H. pylori* resides in the stomach, it can pass through the digestive and absorptive processes into the intestines and subsequently be excreted from the body via feces. Consequently, individuals infected with *H. pylori* may harbor the bacteria in their stool. Therefore, failure to properly wash hands after defecation may result in contamination of the hands with *H. pylori*, leading to food contamination. Ingestion of such contaminated food can then result in infection.