Spectrotypic analysis of antibodies to Helicobacter pylori in patients with antral gastritis and duodenal ulcer.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the anti Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) spectrotype associated with (a) antral gastritis and duodenal ulcer; (b) the H pylori eradicating treatment.


METHODS
Spectrotypic analysis was performed by isoelectric focusing and reverse blotting (IEFRB) in a cross sectional study on sera from 70 patients with antral gastritis and duodenal ulcer. In addition, a longitudinal study was performed on 40 of these patients (20 with antral gastritis and 20 with duodenal ulcer) who underwent eradicating treatment.


RESULTS
The cross sectional study showed that the oligoclonal spectrotype was present in 74% of antral gastritis patients and in 85% of duodenal ulcer patients. In only a minority of subjects (23% with antral gastritis and 3% with duodenal ulcer) was a polyclonal spectrotype observed. The longitudinal study showed a reduction in the intensity of the spectrotypic bands in 5/10 antral gastritis patients with eradicated H pylori as opposed to only 2/10 patients without eradication. A reduction was also observed in 6/11 eradicated v 0/9 non-eradicated patients with duodenal ulcer. Collectively, a reduction in the spectrotype was observed in 11/21 patients (52%) who--independently of the disease--underwent H pylori eradication, as opposed to 2/19 of the non-responder patients (10.5%). The polyclonal spectrotype was found exclusively in four patients with antral gastritis, all belonging to the group without eradication of H pylori after eradicating treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The anti H pylori oligoclonal spectrotype is the most common pattern observed in patients with antral gastritis and duodenal ulcer. After H pylori eradicating treatment the spectrotype does not change qualitatively, but the polyclonal pattern seems to be predictive of a poor response to eradication.
Biselli
R
R
Italian Air Force, DASRS, Laboratory of Immunology, Pratica di Mare, Rome.
Vaira
D
D
Nisini
R
R
Miglioli
M
M
Menegatti
L
L
Barbara
L
L
D'Amelio
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005756:Gastritis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011706:Pyloric Antrum
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial