No evidence of Helicobacter pylori sequences in pancreatic juices of patients affected by chronic pancreatitis.
BACKGROUND
The course of chronic pancreatitis is often unpredictable and many factors are likely to be involved in the progression of the disease. In physiological condition, pancreatic juice exerts significant antibacterial activity, which is impaired in patients with chronic pancreatitis.


OBJECTIVE
Hypothesizing that Helicobacter pylori could, in these conditions, lead to an ascending infection, we aimed to assess the presence of H. pylori sequences in pancreatic juices of patients with chronic pancreatitis.


METHODS
40 patients (mean age 52+/-3 yr) with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis and H. pylori infection were examined. Pancreatic juices were collected during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with two primers homologous to a portion of urease-C gene, H. pylori DNA was detected. Gastric biopsies, microscopically positive to H. pylori were used as positive controls.


RESULTS
All gastric biopsies produced H. pylori-specific DNA products. Conversely, no H. pylori urease-C gene sequences have been detected in any of the pancreatic juices.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that the impaired antibacterial activity of pancreatic juices in patients affected by chronic pancreatitis does not have a permissive role for a superimposing H. pylori infection in the pancreas. The possibility that Helicobacter species other than pylori may be involved in a superimposing infection requires further investigation.
Di Campli
C
C
Medicina Interna, Catholic University of Rome, Italy.
Nocente
R
R
Costamagna
G
G
Gentiloni
N
N
Burioni
R
R
Wu
J
J
Armuzzi
A
A
Zern
M A
MA
Gasbarrini
G
G
Gasbarrini
A
A
D002908:Chronic Disease; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D010189:Pancreatic Juice / Q000382:microbiology*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014510:Urease / Q000235:genetics
D014510:Urease