Clinical relevance of Helicobacter pylori babA2 and babA2/B in Costa Rica and Japan.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) babA2, babB and a recombinant gene between babA2 and babB (babA2/B), and their role in the development of atrophic gastritis in Costa Rican and Japanese clinical isolates.


METHODS
A total of 95 continuous H. pylori-positive Costa Rican (41 males and 54 females; mean age, 50.65 years; SD, +/- 13.04 years) and 95 continuous H. pylori-positive Japanese (50 males and 45 females; mean age, 63.43; SD, +/- 13.21 years) patients underwent upper endoscopy from October 2005 to July 2006. They were enrolled for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotyping of the H. pylori babA2, babB and babA2/B genes. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi(2) test and the Fisher's exact probability test and multivariate analysis was performed by logistic regression adjusting for gender and age. P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.


RESULTS
The PCR-based genotyping of 95 Costa Rican and 95 Japanese isolates showed a higher prevalence of babA2 in Japan (96.8%) than in Costa Rica (73.7%), while that of babA2/B was higher in Costa Rica (11.6%) than in Japan (1.1%). In Costa Rican isolates only, babA2 was significantly associated with atrophic gastritis (P = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the status of babA2 and babA2/B shows geographic differences, and that babA2 has clinical relevance in Costa Rica.
Con
Sergio A
SA
Centro Digestivo Doctores Con-Mediplaza, 245-1200 San José, Costa Rica. scon@gastrocolon.com
Takeuchi
Hiroaki
H
Nishioka
Mitsuaki
M
Morimoto
Norihito
N
Sugiura
Tetsuro
T
Yasuda
Nobufumi
N
Con-Wong
Reinaldo
R
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003364:Costa Rica / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012737:Sex Factors
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; C400429:BabA protein, Helicobacter pylori