High Prevalence ofHelicobacter pylori hopQII Genotype Isolated from Iranian Patients with Gastroduodenal Disorders

Abstract

Helicobacter pyloriplays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic gastritis, peptic ulceration, and noncardia gastric cancer. Several putative virulence factors forH. pylorihave been identified includingvacA,babA, andiceA. HopQ is one of the outer membrane proteins involved in bacterial adherence to gastric mucosa and has been suggested to also play a role in the virulence ofH. pylori. Due to the substantial geographic differences in the prevalence ofH. pylorivirulence factors reported, the main purpose of the current study was to investigate the association between differentH. pylorivirulencehopQalleles (types I and II) and patients with gastroduodenal disorders. The presence ofH. pyloriandhopQalleles in gastric biopsy specimens was identified by specific PCR assays.H. pyloritype IIhopQwas found to be significantly associated with gastric cancer patients (odds ratio: 3.47, 95% CI: 1.56–5.89). Information about the prevalence ofH. pylori hopQtype II can be used for determining the high-risk diseases type which is actually colonized byH. pylori hopQtype II positive strains. The presence ofH. pylori hopQtype II should be investigated in different geographical regions as confirmatory findings may provide a definite biomarker attributed to the pathogenesis of certain severe digestive diseases.