Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori vacA, cagA and iceA genotypes in Nigerian patients with duodenal ulcer disease

*Medical Department I, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Oncology, Pulmonology and Infectious Diseases, Technical University Hospital, Dresden, Germany, Genetics Division and Microbiology Division, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife and ||Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria Corresponding author: Dr S. Miehlke (email: miehlke{at}mk1.med.tu-dresden.de ). Received 24 Jan. 2002; revised version received 3 April 2002; accepted 12 April 2002. Distinct virulence factors of Helicobacter pylori have been associated with clinical outcome of the infection; however, considerable variations have been reported from different geographic regions. Data on genotypes of African H. pylori isolates are sparse. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of specific genotypes of H. pylori in Nigerian patients with duodenal ulcer and non-ulcer dyspepsia. H. pylori was cultured from endoscopic biopsies obtained from 41 Nigerian patients (19 with duodenal ulcer, 22 with non-ulcer dyspepsia). The vacA alleles , cagA and iceA genotypes were determined by PCR. The vacA s1,m1 and s1,m2 genotypes were found in 26.3% and 22.7%, and in 73.7% and 72.7% of H. pylori isolates from patients with duodenal ulcer and non-ulcer dyspepsia, respectively. The iceA 1 genotype was present in 94.7% and 86.4% of isolates from duodenal ulcer and non-ulcer dyspepsia patients, respectively. cagA + infection was found predominantly (>90%) in Nigerian H. pylori isolates irrespective of the clinical diagnosis. In conclusion, vacA s1,m2, iceA 1 and cagA + are common genotypes of H. pylori isolated from Nigerian patients. As in several other developing countries there seems to be no association between these genotypes and duodenal ulcer disease.