Helicobacter pylori babA2 relates with atrophic gastritis in Costa Rica

The clinical outcome of gastric disease may involve differences in the prevalence or expression of bacterial virulence factors. Contrary to Asian studies, Western studies have disclosed associations between the presence of babA2 gene and gastric cancer. Evidence concerning BabA adhesin-associated genes is insufficient in Costa Rica, where the incidence of gastric cancer is very high, similar to Japan. The babA2 gene, which encodes BabA, may play a role in the development of gastric cancer in the Costa Rican population.

A research article to be published on January 28, 2010 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. Using data from 95 H. pylori-positive Costa Rican patients, and 95 H. pylori-positive Japanese patients, Dr. Sergio A Con and colleagues reported a higher prevalence of babA2 in Japan than in Costa Rica, while that of babA2/B was higher in Costa Rica than in Japan. In addition, in Costa Rican isolates only, babA2 was significantly associated with atrophic gastritis, which is considered to be a gastric premalignant lesion.

Reference: Con SA, Takeuchi H, Nishioka M, Morimoto N, Sugiura T, Yasuda N, Con-Wong R. Clinical relevance of Helicobacter pylori babA2 and babA2/B in Costa Rica and Japan. World J Gastroenterol 2010; 16(4): 474-478

http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/16/474.asp

Correspondence to: Sergio A Con, MD, PhD, Centro Digestivo Doctores Con-Mediplaza, 245-1200 San José, Costa Rica. scon@gastrocolon.com

Telephone: +506-2201-7028 Fax: +506-2201-7033

World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H pylori infection and provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2008 IF: 2.081. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of every month. WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the name of China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.