Infection with H. felis for nine months was associated with decreased gastric expression of iron metabolism regulators such as hepcidin, Bmp4 and Bmp6 but increased expression of ferroportin 1, the iron efflux protein, and iron absorption genes such as Dmt1, Transferrin receptor 1 and also Lcn2 a siderophore-binding protein. Here, BMP4 is linked to infection.