Abstract
Background: Helicobacter pylori transmission routes are not entirely elucidated. Since yeasts are postulated to transmit this pathogen, this study aimed to detect and genotype intracellular H. pylori harbored within vaginal yeast cells. Methods: A questionnaire was used to determine risk factors of H. pylori infection. Samples were seeded on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and horse blood-supplemented Columbia agar. Isolated yeasts were identified using and observed by optical microscopy searching for intra-yeast H. pylori. Total yeast DNA, from one random sample, was extracted to search for H. pylori virulence genes by PCR and bacterial identification by sequencing. Results: 43% of samples contained yeasts, mainly Candida albicans (91%). Microscopy detected bacteria such as bodies and anti-H. pylori antibodies binding particles in 50% of the isolated yeasts. Total DNA extracted showed that 50% of the isolated yeasts were positive for H. pylori 16S rDNA and the sequence showed 99.8% similarity with H. pylori. In total, 32% of H. pylori DNA positive samples were cagA+ vacAs1a vacAm1 dupA−. No relationship was observed between possible H. pylori infection risk factors and vaginal yeasts harboring this bacterium. Conclusion: H. pylori having virulent genotypes were detected within vaginal yeasts constituting a risk for vertical transmission of this pathogen.
Highlights
H. pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium infecting 50% of the world population, possesses multiple virulence factors, such as proteins CagA, VacA and DupA [1,2,3,4], making it a primary pathogen associated to various gastric pathologies including peptic ulcer, mucosaassociated gastric lymphoma and gastric cancer [5]
The way in which H. pylori persists in the environment, as well as the factors facilitating its entry into human gastric epithelial cells and its transmission mechanism from person to person, remains unknown
No significant difference was observed between the positivity for vaginal intrayeast H. pylori and the age ranges of term pregnant women n (p = 0.2306)
Summary
H. pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium infecting 50% of the world population, possesses multiple virulence factors, such as proteins CagA, VacA and DupA [1,2,3,4], making it a primary pathogen associated to various gastric pathologies including peptic ulcer, mucosaassociated gastric lymphoma and gastric cancer [5]. This pathogen has been associated to extra-gastric pathologies, such as hyperemesis gravidarum, ischemic stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, rosacea and iron deficiency anemia, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and openangle glaucoma [6,7,8,9,10,11]. Largely due to the inability to culture these intracellular bacteria, the details of this type of relationship have not been yet elucidated [14,15]
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