The Prevalence of H. Pylori cagA Gene in Patients with Gastric Ulcer

Background and Objective: Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) is one of the reasons for the gastric inflammation and peptic ulcers. It is a predisposing factor of gastric adenocarcinoma. Cytotoxin A encoded by the cagA gene is one of the major virulence factors in bacterial pathogenicity, which is of special importance due to genetic diversity in different geographical areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the cagA gene in the patients suffering from gastric ulcers. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five paraffin blocks of stomach biopsy samples from patients infected with H. pylori and suffering from gastric ulcers were randomly evaluated in the province of Kermanshah in the spring of 2016, Iran. DNA samples extracted by the boiling method were investigated using PCR by the use of particular primer pairs for a protected area in the glmM gene, and the existence of the cagA gene. Results: From the 75 samples, 56 cases (%74.66) were glmM-positive and among them, 39 cases (%69.64) tested positive for cagA gene. Comparing patients in terms of gender, the frequency of the cagA gene was 22 (%39.28) and 17 (%30.35) in males and females, respectively. Finally, comparing patients in terms of age, 16 cases (%21.33) were younger than 40 years old and 23 cases (%41.07) were older than 40 years old. Conclusion: The results of this study showed significant association between the frequency of the cagA gene and peptic ulcer in the studied patients.