title: Helicobacter pylori transmission: evidence from a comparison with hepatitis A virus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the possibility that faecal-oral contact might play a role in the transmission of Helicobacter pylori.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional comparison of the patterns of hepatitis A and H. pylori seropositivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  At interview, blood samples and questionnaire data were collected from a group of 467 male volunteers, aged 18-65, from Stoke-on-Trent, UK. Serum samples from each subject were then analysed for anti-H. pylori and anti-hepatitis A antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 100 of 175 H. pylori seropositive subjects (57.1%) and 113 of 292 H. pylori seronegative subjects (38.7%) were hepatitis A seropositive (chi 2 = 15.0, P < 0.001). This difference was not statistically significant after adjustment for age group and father's occupation, as a surrogate for socioeconomic status in childhood (P = 0.15). The seroprevalence of hepatitis A increased with age at a rate of 2.3% per year, compared to only 1.0% per year for H. pylori (P = 0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that the case for faecal-oral transmission of H. pylori, in a manner similar to the spread of hepatitis A, is not proven and that other modes of transmission, for instance through oral-oral contact, should also be considered.
authors.affiliation: Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Forman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies