Prevalence of Oral Helicobacter pylori Infection in an Indigenous Community in Southwest Mexico

PURPOSE: Epidemiological studies have been conducted to improve the health and economic quality of life of indigenous communities in Mexico. These studies have found that infections cause frequent health problems. Helicobacter pylori are responsible for conditions ranging from gastritis to stomach cancer. This study determined the prevalence of H. pylori in families from Siltepec, Chiapas, Mexico. PATIENT AND METHODS: Ninety-nine dental plaque samples from 36 families were studied. Real-time PCR was performed to detect H. pylori using previously reported primers. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used for the statistical analysis. According to the family role of H. pylori-positive individuals, the VacA s1/m1 genotype and CagA gene correlated. RESULTS: The mother had the highest expression of VacA s1/m1-/cagA- with 19% (8/42), followed by the first child with 14.3% (6/42). The major roles for the vacA s1/m1+/cagA- were the mother and first child with 9.5% (4/42), followed by the remaining children with 4.8% (2/42). The vacA s1/m1-/cagA+ genotype was 7.1% (3/42) for the mother and 4.8% (2/42) for the father. Finally, the vacA s1/m1+/cagA+ genotype only appeared in the mother, son I, and son III with 2.4% (1/42). CONCLUSION: The vacA s1/m1/cagA genotypes predominated in the mother, suggesting potential transmission between the mother and child during the first years of life.