Genotyping of Helicobacter pylori Isolates from Egyptian Patients

Abstract

The discovery of Helicobacter pylori, which is Gram-negative spiral-shaped bacterium that persistently colonizes the human gastric mucosa, in 1982, was the starting point of a revolution concerning the concepts and management of gastroduedenal diseases. This bacterium causes chronic inflammation that may lead to gastric lymphoma, and peptic ulceration. The clinical outcome following infection with this pathogen has been related to environmental conditions, host immunological factors and bacterial virulence.

Triple therapy for the eradication of H. pylori include the combination of a proton pump inhibitor or bismuth citrate and two antibiotics such as amoxicillin (AMX), clarithromycin (CLR) or metronidazole (MTZ).

cag A and babA genes are the most commonly studied virulence markers of H. pylori and there correlation to high risk of developing peptic ulcers, gastric atrophy and gastric cancer.

The cagA gene is a marker for the presence of what is called the cag pathogenicity island (cag-PAI) whose presence is associated with the more severe clinical outcomes following infection. The blood group antigen binding adhesion (BabA) is