Clinical Relevance of vacA, cagA, and iceA Genotypes of Helicobacter pylori

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated withvariable clinical outcomes, including gastroduodenal diseases, and genetic factors may be relevant in this process. The aim of this study was to investigate any association between the H. pylori genotypes and the clinical out come in patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal diseases. Methods: Antral gastric biopsy specimens were collected from 250 patients with gastritis. Clinical diagnosis was based on histology, and endoscopy. Specimens were tested for H. pylori genotypes by PCR, and the presence of vacA s and m regions, cagA, and iceA genotypes were analyzed for association with the clinical disease. Results: Significant associations were found betweenthe genotypes vacA s1 with gastritis (P=0.052), and atrophy (P= 0.001), vacA s2 and vacA m2 with erosion (P= 0.004, and < 0.001 respectively), cagA with duodenitis (P= 0.005). Several genotypes present in certain diseases were significantly associated with the patients’ gender, while, no association between the genotypes, and the age of the patient was found. Conclusions: This study reports the genotypes of three virulence genes in H. pylori for the first time in Jordan; it adds new pieces of information in this respect. Overall, the results demonstrated that certain H. pylori genotypes showed significant correlation with the clinical outcome, and their presence might be used to predict the disease outcome.