H. Pylori
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2002. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 15, 2002; 8(2): 301-304
Published online Apr 15, 2002. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v8.i2.301
Modalities of testing Helicobacter pylori in patients with nonmalignant bile duct diseases
Milutin Bulajic, Bojan Stimec, Miroslav Milicevic, Matthias Loehr, Petra Mueller, Ivan Boricic, Nada Kovacevic, Mirko Bulajic
Milutin Bulajic, Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Center “Dr Dragisa Misovic”-Dedinje, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Bojan Stimec, Institute for Anatomy, School of Medicine, Belgrade, YugoslaviaMiroslav Milicevic, First Surgical Clinic, Institute for digestive Diseases, University Clinical Center, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Matthias Loehr, Department of Medicine II, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Petra Mueller, Department of Medicine, University of Rostock, Germany
Ivan Boricic, Institute for Pathology, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Nada Kovacevic, Mirko Bulajic, Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Institute for Digestive Diseases, University Clinical Center, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, University of Rostock, Germany
Correspondence to: Dr. Milutin Bulajic, Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Center “Dr Dragisa Misovic”-Dedinje, Heroja Milana Tepica 1, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia. mbulajic@EUnet.yu
Telephone: +381-11-667122 Fax: +381-11-4442452
Received: December 21, 2001
Revised: January 10, 2002
Accepted: January 25, 2002
Published online: April 15, 2002
Abstract

AIM: This paper describes the procedure of detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori ) in bile specimens in patients suffering frombenign diseases of biliary ducts (lithiasis with/without nonspecific cholangitis).

METHODS: The group of 72 patients entering the study consisted of 32 male and 40 female (45% and 55%, respectively). Bile was obtained during ERCP in 68 patients, and during cholecystectomy in 4 patients. A fast urease test (FUT) to determine the existence of H. pylori in gastric mucosa was carried out for all the patients during the endoscopic examination. The existence of genetic material of H. pylori was determined by detection of ureA gene by the method of nested PCR. The results of this reaction were shown by electrophoresis on 10 g•L⁻¹ agarose gel in a band of 256 bp.

RESULTS: The majority of the patients included in our study had biliary lithiasis without signs of cholangitis (48 patients, 67%), whereas other patients were complicated by cholangitis (17 patients, 24%). Seven patients (9%) had normal ERCP, forming thus the control group. In the group of patients with lithiasis 26 patients (54.2%) had positive PCR of H. pylori in bile and among the patients with associated cholangitis positive PCR was detected in 9 patients (52.9%). Among the seven patients with normal ERCP only one (14%) had positive PCR of H. pylori. A high percentage of H. pylori infection of gastric mucosa was observed (57 patients, 79%). It was also observed that its slightly higher positivity was in the patients with distinct bile pathology: 81% FUT positive patients in the group with choledocholithiasis alone and 76% in the group with choledocholithiasis associated with cholangitis. Seventy-one percent of the patients with regular findings had positive FUT.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of H. pylori infection both in bile and in gastric mucosa in patients with benign diseases of biliary ducts does not show a statistically significant difference in relation to the prevalence of the same with the patients with normal ERCP. The existence of H. pylori infection possibly does not play a role in pathogenesis of benign biliary diseases.

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