Helicobacter pylori from gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer show same phylogeographic origin in the Andean region in Colombia.

Seiji Shiota,Tran Thanh Binh,Muhammad Miftahussurur,Rumiko Suzuki,Yoshio Yamaoka,Trang Thu Huyen Tran,Yuichi Matsuo,Masaru Katoh

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0105392

Seiji Shiota, Tran Thanh Binh + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0105392

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Abstract

BackgroundA recent report has shown that the phylogenetic origin of Helicobacter pylori based on multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was significantly associated with the severity of gastritis in Colombia. However, the potential relationship between phylogenetic origin and clinical outcomes was not examined in that study. If the phylogenetic origin rather than virulence factors were truly associated with clinical outcomes, identifying a population at high risk for gastric cancer in Colombia would be relatively straightforward. In this study, we examined the phylogenetic origins of strains from gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer patients living in Bogota, Colombia.MethodsWe included 35 gastric cancer patients and 31 duodenal ulcer patients, which are considered the variant outcomes. The genotypes of cagA and vacA were determined by polymerase chain reaction. The genealogy of these Colombian strains was analyzed by MLST. Bacterial population structure was analyzed using STRUCTURE software.Results H. pylori strains from gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer patients were scattered in the phylogenetic tree; thus, we did not detect any difference in phylogenetic distribution between gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer strains in the hpEurope group in Colombia. Sixty-six strains, with one exception, were classified as hpEurope irrespective of the cagA and vacA genotypes, and type of disease. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that Colombian hpEurope strains have a phylogenetic connection to Spanish strains.ConclusionsOur study showed that a phylogeographic origin determined by MLST was insufficient for distinguishing between gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer risk among hpEurope strains in the Andean region in Colombia. Our analysis also suggests that hpEurope strains in Colombia were primarily introduced by Spanish immigrants.

Highlights

Helicobacter pylori is a spiral Gram-negative bacterium that infects more than half of the world’s population [1]
Subjects infected with hpEurope strains of H. pylori showed higher histopathological scores than those infected with hpAfrica1 strains
We examined the phylogenetic origin of the H. pylori strains from gastric cancer (GC) and duodenal ulcer (DU) patients living in Bogota, the capital and the largest city located in the Andean region in Colombia

Summary

Introduction

Helicobacter pylori is a spiral Gram-negative bacterium that infects more than half of the world’s population [1]. H. pylori infection is accepted to be linked to severe gastritis-associated diseases, including peptic ulcer and gastric cancer (GC) [1]. Virulence factors of H. pylori, such as cagA, vacA, dupA, iceA, oipA, and babA, have been shown to be predictors of severe clinical outcomes [5,6] Most of these virulence factors are associated with each other; cagA-positive strains possess a vacA s1/m1 type and they are further closely linked to the presence of the babA and oipA ‘‘on’’ status [5]. A recent report has shown that the phylogenetic origin of Helicobacter pylori based on multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was significantly associated with the severity of gastritis in Colombia. If the phylogenetic origin rather than virulence factors were truly associated with clinical outcomes, identifying a population at high risk for gastric cancer in Colombia would be relatively straightforward. We examined the phylogenetic origins of strains from gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer patients living in Bogota, Colombia

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Conclusion