The seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori and its relationship to malaria in Ugandan children.
Helicobacter pylori epidemiology in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly among children, has been little investigated. A secondary endpoint of our study was to examine for associations between the seroprevalence of H. pylori and the incidence of malaria. We explored H. pylori prevalence by measuring serum IgG antibodies to H. pylori whole cell and cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) antigens by ELISA in a longitudinal cohort of 200 Ugandan children, aged 1-10 years at enrollment, in whom malaria incidence was followed over 572 person-years. First-sample seroprevalence for H. pylori -specific IgG (63%) and for the H. pylori protein CagA (78.5%) were both high, and they were positively associated with advancing age (per each 1-year age increase, OR (95% CI): 1.60 (1.39-1.85), P<0.001). We observed nearly universal prevalence of CagA+ H. pylori by the age of 10 years in Kampala and found no evidence that H. pylori-positivity is protective against malaria.
Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, 630W. 168(th) Street, New York, New York 10032, USA. vg2153@columbia.edu
Vinay
V
Gupta
Guillermo I
GI
Perez-Perez
Grant
G
Dorsey
Philip J
PJ
Rosenthal
Martin J
MJ
Blaser
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C080866:cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori