title: The role of Helicobacter spp. in the pathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.
abstract: Helicobacter species DNA has been detected in liver tissue of patients affected by primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). To investigate a potential causative relation between Helicobacter species and PBC/PSC, we compared the presence of Helicobacter species-specific DNA in liver tissue of patients with PBC/PSC (n=18/n=13) with those of a control group of patients with various liver diseases with known cause (n=29). A PCR with Helicobacter genus-specific 16S rRNA primers was performed on DNA isolated from paraffin embedded liver tissue. Control patients had hepatitis-B (n=9), alcoholic cirrhosis (n=14), or non-cirrhotic metabolic liver disease (n=6). There was no significant difference between the incidence of Helicobacter spp.-specific DNA in PBC/PSC (9/31; 29%) and the control group (10/29; 34%). Sequence analysis confirmed Helicobacter spp. DNA. Because Helicobacter spp. DNA can be found in approximately one-third of all samples tested, it is unlikely that PSC and PBC are caused by Helicobacter infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sacha Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Boomkens
authors.forename: Sjoerd
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Rave
authors.forename: Raymond G J
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Pot
authors.forename: Herman F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Egberink
authors.forename: Louis C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Penning
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rothuizen
authors.forename: Pieter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Zondervan
authors.forename: Johannes G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kusters
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015209:Cholangitis, Sclerosing / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial