Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance among Helicobacter Pylori Clinical Isolates from Main Hospitals in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns amongst H. pylori clinical strains isolated from the main hospitals in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for 137 clinical isolates of H. pylori recovered from 368 Saudi patients undergoing endoscopic examination. The antibiotics used were amoxicillin, tetracycline, clarithromycin and metronidazole. Results: A high percentage of resistance were observed against metronidazole (48.2%) followed by clarithromycin (27.7%), amoxicillin (14.6%) and tetracycline (9.5%). A total of 12 (8.8%) multidrug-resistant H. pylori isolates were observed in this study. Moreover, a warning sign of emerging resistance to amoxicillin, tetracycline and clarithromycin were noted. Conclusion: The clinician need to be aware about resistance pattern in their region when they select empiric antibiotics regimen for H. pylori.