Concurrent detection of cagA, vacA, sodB and hsp60 virulence genes and their relationship with clinical outcomes of disease in Helicobacter pylori isolated strains of southwest of Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative spiral-shaped bacterium that contaminates more than half of the world’s inhabitants, and infection with this bacterium is associated with some gastric disorders. Also, 5% to 10% of H. pylori genes are specific to this bacterium and many bacterial virulence factors fall into this group. The cagA, vacA, sodB and hsp60 are among important virulence factors of H. pylori. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A gastric biopsy specimen was taken from 341 gastric patients and cultivated on a Colombia agar plate, containing various antibiotics, such as vancomycin, amphotericin B, and trimethoprim & polymyxin B, and incubated for 3 to 10 days under microaerophilic conditions at 37°C. PCR was used to detect the ureC, cagA, vacA, sodB and hsp60 genes. RESULTS: In this study, 131 isolates were identified as H. pylori. The prevalence of cagA, vacA, sodB and hsp60 were 74%, 100%, 92.4% and 96.2%, respectively. The correlation between the clinical forms of the disease and the virulence genes were analyzed by statistical tests and no significant correlation was found. CONCLUSION: The obtained results are similar to some studies conducted in different parts of the world and is different in other cases. This discrepancy is due to the difference in the type of gastric disorders, sample size and methodology.