Helicobacter pylori in bronchiectasis: a polymerase chain reaction assay in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and bronchiectatic lung tissue.
BACKGROUND
A number of studies have implicated an association between H. pylori and diverse extra-gastroduodenal pathologies. Chronic inflammation and increased immune response have been observed in bronchiectasis, likely gastroduodenal inflammatory diseases. H. pylori has been found in the trachea-bronchial aspirates of mechanically ventilated patients. Furthermore, the seroprevalence of H. pylori was found to be significantly higher in patients with bronchiectasis than in the control group. The present study was performed to investigate the possible role of H. pylori in the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis.


METHODS
Prospectively, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained from patients with bronchiectasis (n=26) and control (n=20). BALF was subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the presence of H. pylori and serum IgG against H. pylori was determined with micro-ELISA kit. In addition, PCR was performed to determine H. pylori in surgically removed lung tissues from patients with bronchiectasis (n=97).


RESULTS
H. pylori DNA was not detected in the BALF or in lung tissue samples. In addition, anti-H. pylori IgG level in patients with bronchiectasis did not show statistically significant difference from that of the control.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study provided evidence that there might be no direct association between H. pylori and bronchiectasis; however, the indirect role of soluble products of H. pylori could not be excluded.
Gülhan
Meral
M
Department of Respiratory Diseases, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training Hospital, Ankara, and Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Kirikkale University, Turkey. meralgulhan@yahoo.com
Ozyilmaz
Ezgi
E
Tarhan
Gülnur
G
Demirağ
Funda
F
Capan
Nermin
N
Ertürk
Arzu
A
Canbakan
Sema
S
Ayaşlioğlu
Ergin
E
Gülhan
Erkmen
E
Ahmed
Kamruddin
K
D000328:Adult; D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000382:microbiology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction