Clustering of Helicobacter pylori infection in couples: differences between high- and low-prevalence population groups.
OBJECTIVE
Several mostly small-scale studies reported clustering of Helicobacter pylori infections as a possible indicator of conjugal transmission, but results have been inconsistent. We assessed clustering of H pylori infections in a large community-based study from Germany that included both high-prevalence and low-prevalence population subgroups.


METHODS
Current H pylori infection was determined among 670 couples by means of carbon-13-urea breath test ((13)C-UBT) breath test and a monoclonal antigen immunoassay for H pylori in stool.


RESULTS
Prevalences of infection among women were 34.9% (51 of 146 women) if the partner was infected and 14.5% (76 of 524 women) if the partner was not infected. Stratification by nationality showed a strong association of infection for partners with other than German nationality (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 6.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-17.96), for whom prevalence of infection was greater than 50%, whereas no association was seen for German partners born in Germany (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.47-2.61), for whom infection prevalence was approximately 10% (p for interaction = 0.048).


CONCLUSIONS
Conjugal transmission of infection caused by H pylori is unlikely to be of relevance in low-prevalence population groups. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of a potential role of conjugal transmission of H pylori infection in high-prevalence population groups.
Brenner
Hermann
H
Department of Epidemiology, German Centre for Research on Ageing, Heidelberg, Germany. brenner@dzfa.uni-heidelberg.de
Weyermann
Maria
M
Rothenbacher
Dietrich
D
D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D018454:Spouses; D013997:Time Factors