Abstract
BackgroundEven though the incidence of H. pylori infection among Malays in the Malay Peninsula is low, we observed a high H. pylori prevalence in Sumatra, which is the main residence of Indonesian Malays. H. pylori prevalence among Indonesian Malay descendants was investigated.ResultsUsing a combination of five tests, 232 recruited participants were tested for H- pylori and participants were considered positive if at least one test positive. The results showed that the overall H. pylori prevalence was 17.2%. Participants were then categorized into Malay (Aceh, Malay, and Minang), Java (Javanese and Sundanese), Nias, and Bataknese groups. The prevalence of H. pylori was very low among the Malay group (2.8%) and no H. pylori was observed among the Aceh. Similarly, no H. pylori was observed among the Java group. However, the prevalence of H. pylori was high among the Bataknese (52.2%) and moderate among the Nias (6.1%). Multilocus sequence typing showed that H. pylori in Indonesian Malays classified as hpEastAsia with a subpopulation of hspMaori, suggesting that the isolated H. pylori were not a specific Malays H. pylori.ConclusionsEven though the ethnic groups live together as a community, we observed an extremely low H. pylori infection rate among Indonesian Malay descendants with no specific Indonesian Malay H. pylori. The results suggest that H. pylori was not originally among these groups and H. pylori was imported from other ethnic groups.
Highlights
Even though the incidence of H. pylori infection among Malays in the Malay Peninsula is low, we observed a high H. pylori prevalence in Sumatra, which is the main residence of Indonesian Malays
According to the “Taiwan” theory, the Malays originated from Taiwan and migrated to the Malay Peninsula through the Philippines and Borneo approximately 1,500 years ago, they might have simultaneously traveled alongside people originating from Yunnan, China [6, 7]
Sumatra is predominantly occupied by Indonesian Malays, several ethnicities are classified as Proto-Melayu, including the Bataknese and Nias ethnic groups, which are considered older ancestors of the modern Indonesian Malays [8]
Summary
Even though the incidence of H. pylori infection among Malays in the Malay Peninsula is low, we observed a high H. pylori prevalence in Sumatra, which is the main residence of Indonesian Malays. A meta-analysis study of H. pylori infection showed that the highest prevalence was found in Africa (79.1%), South America (63.4%), and Asia (54.7%) [2]. Malays predominantly inhabit the South-East Asia region, especially the Malay Peninsula, east coast of Sumatra, and the coast of Borneo. After reaching the Malay Peninsula, the Malays began to spread to Indonesia (predominantly Sumatra), several areas of Borneo, and the western tip of Java. Sumatra is predominantly occupied by Indonesian Malays, several ethnicities are classified as Proto-Melayu, including the Bataknese and Nias ethnic groups, which are considered older ancestors of the modern Indonesian Malays [8]
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