CAJ | 학술논문

AIM: To determine the presence of Helicobacter species DNA in the liver of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with and without cirrhosis as compared to controls, and to identify the bacterial species involved.METHODS: Seventy-nine consecutive patients (HBV and HIV negative) with a liver sample obtained after liver biopsy or hepatic resection were studied: 41 with CHC without cirrhosis, 12 with CHC and cirrhosis, and 26 controls (HCV negative). Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) targeting Helicobacter 16S rDNA and speciesspecific were performed on DNA extracted from the liver. A gastric infection with H pylori was determined by serology and confirmed by 13C-urea breath test.RESULTS: Overall, Helicobacter 16S rDNA was found in 16 patients (20.2%). Although positive cases tended to be higher in CHC patients with cirrhosis (41.6%) than in those without cirrhosis (17.0%) or in controls (15.4%),the difference was not statistically significant (P =0.08).H pylori-like DNA was identified in 12 cases and H. Pullarum DNA in 2, while 2 cases remained unidentified. Gastric infection with H pylori was found in only 2 of these patients.CONCLUSION: Our results do not confirm the association of Helicobacter species DNA in the liver of CHC patients with advanced liver disease. The lack of correlation between positive H pylori serology and the presence of H pylori-like DNA in the liver may indicate the presence of a variant of this species.