Helicobacter pylori vacA d1 Genotype Predicts Risk of Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Peptic Ulcers in Northwestern Iran

Background: There is a close relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H pylori)-specific factors and differentgastroduodenal diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of vacA d1, d2 genotypes in theH pylori isolates from patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastritis in EastAzerbaijan region, where the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is high. Strains isolated from this area are likelyto be of European ancestry. Materials and
Methods: In this study, genotyping of the vacA d region of 115 isolatesobtained from patients with different gastrodoudenal diseases was accomplished by PCR methods. In additionto PCR amplification of H pylori 16S rDNA, rapid urease tests or histological examination were used to confirmthe presence of H pylori in biopsy specimens. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 19.
Results:Of the total of 83 H pylori isolates, 36 (43.4%) contained the d1 allele and 47 (56.6%) were subtype d2. Theresults of the multiple linear/logistic regression analysis showed high correlation between allele d1 and gastricadenocarcinoma or PUD.
Conclusions: This study suggests that the H pylori vacA d1 genotype helps predict riskfor gastric adenocarcinoma and PUD in East Azerbaijan, Iran.