title: Helicobacter pylori colonization of tongue mucosa--increased incidence in atrophic glossitis and burning mouth syndrome (BMS).
abstract: Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori in tongue mucosa in 268 patients divided into four groups according to their diagnosis: 87 with atrophic glossitis, 37 with benign migratory glossitis and 144 with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). The latter group was subdivided according to anatomic site of burning sensation: subgroup A (54 patients) with complaints limited to tongue and subgroup B (90 patients) with burning sensations in other parts of oral mucosa. H. pylori was found in 43 samples (16%). Bacteria were significantly less present in tongue mucosa affected with benign migratory glossitis compared with atrophic glossitis and BMS (P=0.025). This difference was more obvious when compared with atrophic glossitis only (P=0.006). Mucosal changes in these conditions might make the oral environment more acceptable for H. pylori colonization compared with normal mucosa, and this mechanism may play a role in its oro-oral transmission.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 1000 Zagreb, Bijenicka cesta 54, Croatia. troselj@rudjer.irb.hr
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gall-Troselj
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mravak-Stipetić
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jurak
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Ragland
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pavelić
mesh_terms: D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005928:Glossitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005929:Glossitis, Benign Migratory / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial