title: Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with brucellosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helicobacter pylori infection affects approximately 40 million individuals in Turkey. Our prefecture is an endemic area for H. pylori infection and brucellosis. However, there are no data on the H. pylori prevalence among patients with brucellosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the link between H. pylori infection and brucellosis. The secondary aim was to determine the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in healthy individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between May 2010 and May 2011, serum was collected from patients with Brucella infection (n = 111) and healthy individuals (n = 120) and analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Brucella infection was defined as a positive Wright test or blood culture positivity for Brucella in conjunction with disease symptoms and findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 111 patients with brucellosis, 69% (n = 77) had a seropositivity result for H. pylori IgG. The healthy control subjects had an 87% (n = 104) seropositivity for H. pylori IgG. The serum H. pylori IgG antibody seropositivity was significantly lower in the patients with Brucella infection compared with the control subjects (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that the serum prevalence of H. pylori among the patients infected with brucellosis is significantly lower than that in the control population. A negative correlation between H. pylori infection and brucellosis infection might be hypothesized.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey.
authors: Ramazan
authors: R
authors: Esen
authors: Ahmet Cumhur
authors: AC
authors: Dulger
authors: Huseyin
authors: H
authors: Begenik
authors: Levent
authors: L
authors: Demirtas
authors: Senar
authors: S
authors: Ebinc
authors: Enver
authors: E
authors: Aytemiz
authors: Mahmut
authors: M
authors: Sunnetcioglu
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Aslan
mesh_terms: D002006:Brucellosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology