title: Presence of human mycoplasma DNA in gastric tissue samples from Korean chronic gastritis patients.
abstract: We aimed to determine whether mycoplasmas are present in Korean chronic gastritis, and to understand their roles in gastric cancer tumorigenesis, because mycoplasmas resemble Helicobacter pylori in terms of ammonia production and induction of inflammatory cytokines in immune and non-immune cells. The presence and identity of mycoplasmas were assessed by semi-nested PCR and sequencing, and the results were compared with pathologic data. Fifty-six samples collected from Korean chronic gastritis patients were used for this study. Twenty-three (41.1%) were positive for mycoplasmas. Eighteen sequenced samples contained a single human mycoplasma or two mycoplasmas, which were identified as Mycoplasma faucium (13/18), M. fermentans (3/18), M. orale (1/18), M. salivarium (2/18), and M. spermatophilum (1/18). Mycoplasma-infected chronic gastritis samples showed significantly more severe neutrophil infiltration than non-infected samples (P = 0.0135). Mycoplasma profiles in the oral cavity (M. salivarium is major) and stomach were different, and the presence of significant proinflammatory responses in mycoplasma-positive patients suggests that the mycoplasmas are not simply contaminants. Further studies are required to understand whether mycoplasmas play a role in gastric tumorigenesis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of iNtRON Biotechnology, Seongnam, Teju 690-756, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuk-Joon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Jeong-Ok
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Sun-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hee-Bum
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Kyung-Ah
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jeong-Ki
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoon-Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Byung-Cheol
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hyun-Wook
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Mi-Ja
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Hee-Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young-Bae
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki-Baeg
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Hahm
authors.forename: Bum-Joon
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myeong-Cherl
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kook
authors.forename: Myung-Hee
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jin-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hyun
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D016858:Mycoplasma fermentans / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D045804:Mycoplasma salivarium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011706:Pyloric Antrum / Q000382:microbiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial