Helicobacter pylori infection, histopathological gastritis and gastric epithelial cell apoptosis in children.
OBJECTIVE
Features of gastritis and gastric epithelial cell apoptosis in children infected with Helicobacter pylori genotypes are seldom studied. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between vacA genotypes and the severity of gastritis, and gastric epithelial cell apoptosis in H. pylori-infected children.


METHODS
Antral biopsies from 52 children infected with H. pylorivacA genotypes (s1a/m1 = 17, s1a/m2 = 21 and s2/m2 = 14) were analysed for severity of gastritis on histopathology. Fifteen biopsies infected with different vacA genotypes were studied for gastric epithelial cell apoptosis by terminal uridine deoxynucleotidyl nick-end labelling.


RESULTS
Children infected with the s1a/m1 and s1a/m2 vacA genotypes had higher severity of chronic inflammation than the s2/m2 genotype (s1a/m1 vs s2/m2, p=0.05; s1a/m2 vs s2/m2, p=0.01). The vacA s1a allele was more independently associated with severe chronic inflammation than the s2 allele (p=0.02). Children infected with the s1a/m1 and s1a/m2 strains had higher gastric epithelial cell apoptosis than the s2/m2 strain (s1a/m1 or s1a/m2 vs s2/m2, p<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The s1a/m1 and s1a/m2 H. pylorivacA genotypes have significantly higher association with severe chronic gastritis and gastric epithelial cell apoptosis than the s2/m2 genotype in children. The role of H. pylorivacA genotypes and their allelic subtypes in relation to pathogenicity and disease potential in children needs further studies.
Singh
Manisha
M
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.
Prasad
Kashi N
KN
Krishnani
Narendra
N
Saxena
Ashish
A
Yachha
Surender K
SK
D000293:Adolescent; D017209:Apoptosis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005838:Genotype; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C074689:VacA protein, Helicobacter pylori