Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori among Tunisian blood donors (outpatients), symptomatic patients and control subjects.
OBJECTIVE
Helicobacter pylori is a worldwide infection, although little data are available in the Tunisian population. The aims of our study were to detect the prevalence of H. pylori in a blood-donor population (n=250) and in another population of hospital-consulting patients comprising 87 symptomatic patients and 59 controls, and to determine the factors that influence the prevalence.


METHODS
Study subjects answered a standardized questionnaire, and IgG anti-H. pylori and anti-cag were detected by ELISA. In the second population, culture and cagA polymerase chain reaction were performed.


RESULTS
The seroprevalence of H. pylori in blood donors was 64%, and 11% had anti-cag. All patients positive for anti-cag were also positive for anti-H. pylori antibodies. The seroprevalence of H. pylori was 99.3% in the hospital-consulting patients, of whom 55.5% were positive for anti-cag. The difference between the anti-cag and symptomatic patients (66.7%) and controls (39%) was significant. Symptomatic patients had a higher rate of anti-cag (66.7%) compared with the controls (39%) and blood donors (11%).


CONCLUSIONS
H. pylori seroprevalence in blood donors is low (64%) compared with symptomatic patients (99.3%), and anti-cag was statistically associated with symptomatic patients and pathology. Also, some environmental factors were correlated with H. pylori seroprevalence.
Mansour
K B
KB
Laboratoire de microbiologie, UR04SP08, CHU Rabta, 1007 El Jebbari, Tunis, Tunisia. khansa bm@yahoo.fr
Keita
A
A
Zribi
M
M
Masmoudi
A
A
Zarrouk
S
S
Labbene
M
M
Kallel
L
L
Karoui
S
S
Fekih
M
M
Matri
S
S
Boubaker
J
J
Cheikh
I
I
Chouaib
S
S
Filali
A
A
Mami
N B
NB
Najjar
T
T
Fendri
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000097:blood; D001782:Blood Donors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C080866:cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori