Evaluating the Genetic Diversity of Helicobacter pylori Isolates in Patients Suffering from Gastritis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESHelicobacter pylori infections vary in severity and virulence in different populations for various reasons. There are different H. pylori strains with varying degrees of virulence. The genetic diversity of H. pylori strains in gastritis patients in different areas has not been well understood. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence rate and different genotypes of H. pylori strains in clinical specimens of patients with gastritis in Ilam, Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODSSaliva and gastric biopsy samples were collected from ۸۱ patients (۵۵ males and ۲۶ females in the age range of ۲۰ to ۹۰ years) referring to Ilam medical centers. After DNA extraction, the prevalence of H. pylori as well as vacA, cagA, and ureC genes was evaluated using PCR, and then each vacA-positive sample was further evaluated for m۱m۲ and s۱s۲ variants.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe cagA and vacA genes were found in ۲۷ (۷۱%) and ۳۶ (۹۴.۷%) H. pylori-positive samples, respectively. The cagA gene was detected in patients with gastric pain (۴۴.۴%) and anorexia (۱۸.۵۱%). Also, the results showed that the vacA s۲m۲ genotype and m۲ allele were present in ۳۲.۹% of H. pylori isolates. Moreover, s۲m۲ and s۱m۲ genotypes were detected in ۴۲.۱ and ۲۶.۳% of vacA-positive samples, respectively. The lowest frequency was related tothe m۱ allele (۱۷.۱۸%).CONCLUSIONThis study results indicate a plausible relationship between the presence of some genotypes of H. pylori and the progression of gastritis, suggesting these markers as promising biomarkers to predict the disease severity