title: Helicobacter pylori in autoimmune pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helicobacter pylori has been suggested to be involved in pancreatic diseases, namely autoimmune pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma. We investigated the presence of conserved sequences of Helicobacter in pancreatic tissue and pancreatic juice from patients with chronic nonautoimmune and autoimmune pancreatitis as well as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
  
  
  METHODS
  35 pancreatic juices collected during routine endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and 30 pancreatic tissues were studied. Nested PCR was used to detect H. pylori in the isolated DNA samples. In order to exclude a methodological bias, the samples were analyzed blindly in 2 different laboratories using either conventional or LightCycler PCR for H. pylori urease A and 16S ribosomal DNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the pancreas of 11 patients with autoimmune pancreatitis, no H. pylori DNA could be detected. Further, in none of the other tissue samples of chronic pancreatitis or PDAC could we detect any Helicobacter sequences. Out of the pancreatic juice samples, none demonstrated either of the 2 Helicobacter gene sequences investigated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite good scientific reasoning for an involvement of Helicobacter in pancreatic diseases, a direct infection of the microbial agent seems unlikely. Rather, the pathomechanism must involve molecular mimicry in autoimmune pancreatitis, or the transformation of nitric food constituents to nitrosamines in pancreatic cancer. and IAP.
authors: Molecular Gastroenterology G350, DKFZ Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: Ralf
authors: R
authors: Jesnowski
authors: Bengt
authors: B
authors: Isaksson
authors: Christiane
authors: C
authors: Möhrcke
authors: Claus
authors: C
authors: Bertsch
authors: Milutin
authors: M
authors: Bulajic
authors: Wulff
authors: W
authors: Schneider-Brachert
authors: Günter
authors: G
authors: Klöppel
authors: Albert B
authors: AB
authors: Lowenfels
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Maisonneuve
authors: J-Matthias
authors: JM
authors: Löhr
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D010189:Pancreatic Juice / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial