Genotypic, clinical, and demographic characteristics of children infected with Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori isolates vary between geographic regions. Certain H. pylori genotypes may be associated with disease outcome. Thirty-eight children underwent diagnostic upper endoscopy at four medical centers and were retrospectively analyzed to determine if H. pylori virulence genes were associated with endoscopic disease severity, histologic parameters, and host demographics. The H. pylori virulence genotype was analyzed by a reverse hybridization line probe assay and type-specific PCR. Endoscopic ulcers or erosions were found in 17 (45%) patients, with 13 (34%) of these patients having antral nodularity. Histological gastritis, of varying severity, was present in all children. Four patients harbored more than one H. pylori strain: one subject had both cagA(+) and cagA-negative strains, while three patients harbored either two different cagA-negative strains (two children) or two cagA(+) strains (one child). There were 28 (74%) cagA(+) isolates; 19 were associated with the vacA s1b genotype, 7 were associated with the vacA s1a genotype, 1 was associated with the vacA s1c genotype, and 1 was associated with the s2 genotype. Of 14 cagA-negative isolates, 6 were vacA s2 genotype, 4 were vacA s1b, 3 were vacA s1a, and 1 was vacA s1c. Nine of ten (90%) Hispanics had similar H. pylori strains (vacA s1b,m1), and all Asian-Canadian children were infected by strains with vacA s1c genotype. No correlation between H. pylori strain and endoscopic or histopathologic abnormalities was found. This study provides a baseline framework of North American children and their H. pylori strains, serving as a powerful epidemiological tool for prospective investigations to better understand the transmission and evolution of diverse disease outcomes.