Correlation of cagA positive Helicobacter pylori Infection with clinical outcomes in Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

• BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori causes chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer, non-cardia gastric cancer and mucosal– associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Different genotypes of  Helicobacter pylori are confirmed from disease geographical areas. Its association with clinical disease remained controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship of the cagA genotype of Helicobacter pylori isolates with clinical manifestations and its relation to age and sex of patients.
• METHODS: A total of 100 patients (60 male and 40 female) biopsy specimens were obtained from 3 groups of patients (40 chronic active gastritis, 40 duodenal ulcers and 20 non-gastric gastric cancers). Biopsies were cultured on specific medium and after growth colonies were confirmed as Helicobacter pylori. DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to detect the presence or absence of cagA gene.
• RESULTS: From a total of 100 positive samples of H. pylori, cagA genes were detected in 68% of patients and 32% of samples were negative. Mean age of normal gastritis, duodenal ulcer and gastric adenocarcinoma was 44.94, 44.97 and 67.5 years, respectively.
• CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed no significant relationship between cagA genotype of H. pylori and chronic active gastritis, duodenal ulcer and non-cardia gastric cancer as well as sex of patients. But, in gastric adenocarcinoma, there was significant discrepancy between ages of patients in comparison with the other two groups.
• KEY WORDS: Helicobacter pylori, cagA, virulence factors.