Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from the intestinal mucosa of patients with Crohn's disease.
BACKGROUND
Helicobacter species are associated with inflammatory bowel disease in rodents and in nonhuman primates. Therefore, we prospectively investigated the presence of Helicobacter species in the intestinal mucosa of patients with and without Crohn's disease by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays.


METHODS
Mucosal fragments were obtained from the ileum, different colon regions, and rectum of 43 patients with Crohn's disease and of 74 patients without inflammatory bowel disease.


RESULTS
Helicobacter pylori strains, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, were more frequently isolated and PCR-detected in the intestinal mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis-like Crohn's disease than in intestinal mucosa of the control group. Otherwise, anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G levels were significantly lower in fibrostenosing and fistulating Crohn's disease subgroups. No other Helicobacter species were found in the intestinal mucosa of the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Although our results suggest an association between the presence of H. pylori in the intestine and ulcerative colitis-like phenotype of Crohn's disease, H. pylori infection in the actual causality of Crohn's disease is still to be determined.
Oliveira
Adriana Gonçalves
AG
Laboratory of Research in Bacteriology and Department of Microbiology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Rocha
Gifone Aguiar
GA
Rocha
Andreia Maria Camargos
AM
Sanna
Maria das Graças Pimenta
Md
Moura
Sílvia Beleza
SB
Dani
Renato
R
Marinho
Frederico Passos
FP
Moreira
Liano Sia
LS
Ferrari
Maria de Lourdes Abreu
Mde L
Castro
Lúcia Porto Fonseca
LP
Queiroz
Dulciene Maria Magalhães
DM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S