Analysis of Helicobacter pylori Genotype in Stool Specimens of Asymptomatic People

Genotyping of Helicobacter pylori virulence factor is important in human health care. However, the genotyping of H. pylori infecting asymptomatic people is not well studied due to the difficulty in collecting gastric specimens. We analyzed 164 asymptomatic participants in Ecuador and Panama by utilizing stool specimens. H. pylori was detected using immunological methods. H. pylori virulence factor cagA was genotyped by PCR. Helicobacter pylori antigen was found in 72.2% of participants from Ecuador and 54.1% from Panama. Among H. pylori DNA-positive samples, cagA was detected in 45.9% from Ecuador and 20.0% from Panama. Over 80% of the detected cagA from both countries was East-Asian genotype. The results suggest that our method is valuable for assessing the H. pylori infection status of asymptomatic people and that the prevalence of H. pylori infection and/or the occurrence of cagA in H. pylori may be related to the risk of stomach cancer.