Frequency of significant virulence genes in gastric biopsies of Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with gastritis

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacteria affecting human societies worldwide, and is mainly associated with gastrointestinal complications due to different virulence factors. This study aimed to investigate some virulence genes of H. pylori in gastric biopsies of patients with gastritis in Sari city, North of Iran. Informed consent forms were obtained from the studied patients, and those who needed endoscopy were included in the study. To evaluate the prevalence of cagA, iceA1, iceA2, vacA, dupA, and oipA genes, gastric biopsies with positive or negative rapid urease test were collected from 50 patients (25 in each group) with gastro-duodenal diseases. The bacterial DNAs were extracted by a specific kit, and the presence of the genes was analyzed by PCR using specific primers. Eighteen (72%) biopsies from 25 H. pylori-positive samples were cagA-positive, while 17 (68%) biopsies contained the vacA gene, and 11 (44%) samples had both vacA and cagA genes. However, 16 (64%), 12 (48%), 13 (52%), and 14 (56%) biopsies contained dupA, iceA1, iceA2, and oipA genes, respectively. Due to the significant role of the studied virulence factors in the pathogenicity of H. pylori, the high prevalence of these factors in biopsies of patients with gastritis is a concern needing to the management in this region.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of certain virulence genes in Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsies of patients with gastritis in Sari city, North of Iran. PCR analysis revealed that 72% of the samples were positive for cagA gene, 68% contained vacA gene, and 44% had both vacA and cagA genes. The high prevalence of these virulence genes in biopsies of gastritis patients is of concern and needs to be managed.