Antibiotic Resistance and Therapy for H. pylori Infection in Immigrant Patients Treated in Italy

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the leading cause of both peptic ulcers and gastric tumors, including low-grade MALT-lymphoma and adenocarcinoma. Although it is decreasing in developed countries, H. pylori prevalence remains high in developing areas, mainly due to low socio-economic levels, and the potential consumption of contaminated water. Moreover, a different pattern of primary antibiotic resistance is expected in their H. pylori isolates, potentially affecting the efficacy of standard eradication therapies. Indeed, a previous study showed the eradication rate following triple therapy was distinctly lower in dyspeptic H. pylori infected immigrants living in Italy as compared to Italian patients. Aims: to evaluate the resistance pattern in H. pylori isolates from immigrant patients in Italy, and the success rate of first-line therapy in these patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated data of consecutive immigrant patients, diagnosed with H. pylori infection in a single center (Bologna, Italy) between January 2009 and January 2019. Patients underwent first-line therapy with either sequential or Pylera(®) (Allergan USA, Inc. Madison, NJ, USA) therapy. Results: A total of 609 immigrants were diagnosed with H. pylori infection during the study period, but 264 previously received an eradication therapy. Therefore, the study was focused on 294 out of 345 naïve patients with a successful bacterial culture with antibiogram. Latin America immigrants had the highest overall resistance rate. Levofloxacin resistance rate was significantly higher in Latin Americans and Asians as compared with Europeans. Based on resistance patterns, sequential therapy showed a clear decreasing trend in eradication rates. Conclusions: while antibiotic resistance rates are generally increasing worldwide, Pylera(®) seems to achieve a good performance as first-line treatment in all naïve foreigner patients, except for Africans.