This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Dowsett, S. A.
Right arrow Articles by Kowolik, M. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Dowsett, S. A.
Right arrow Articles by Kowolik, M. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 1999, p. 2456-2460, Vol. 37, No. 8
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Helicobacter pylori Infection in Indigenous Families of Central America: Serostatus and Oral and Fingernail Carriage

S. A. Dowsett,1 L. Archila,2,3 V. A. Segreto,3 C. R. Gonzalez,4 A. Silva,2 K. A. Vastola,5 R. D. Bartizek,5 and M. J. Kowolik1,*

Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis, Indiana1; Universidad Mariano Galvez, Guatemala City, Guatemala2; University of Texas Health Science Center Dental School at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas3; IMSS Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico4; and The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio5

Received 4 December 1998/Returned for modification 6 March 1999/Accepted 25 April 1999

Helicobacter pylori infection remains one of the most common in humans, but the route of transmission of the bacterium is still uncertain. This study was designed to elucidate possible sources of infection in an isolated, rural population in Guatemala. A total of 242 subjects in family units participated in the study. A medical history, including a history of dyspepsia, was taken by a physician and immunoglobulin G antibodies to H. pylori were detected with the QuickVue (Quidel, San Diego, Calif.) onsite serology test. Overall, 58% of subjects were seropositive, with a positive relationship between mother and child (P = 0.02) and a positive correlation between the serostatuses of siblings (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.63). There was no association between serostatus and gastric symptoms. Oral H. pylori was detected from periodontal pockets of various depths and the dorsum of the tongue by nested PCR. Eighty-seven percent of subjects had at least one oral site positive for H. pylori, with the majority of subjects having multiple positive sites. There was no association between periodontal pocket depth and the detection of H. pylori. Nested PCR was also used to detect H. pylori from beneath the nail of the index finger of each subject's dominant hand. Overall, 58% of subjects had a positive fingernail result, with a significant positive relationship between fingernail and tongue positivity (P = 0.002). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that oral carriage of H. pylori may play a role in the transmission of infection and that the hand may be instrumental in transmission.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Periodontics, Indiana University School of Dentistry, 1121 West Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202. Phone: (317) 278-0223. Fax: (317) 278-0224. E-mail: mkowolik{at}iusd.iupui.edu.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 1999, p. 2456-2460, Vol. 37, No. 8
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Cirak, M. Y., Ozdek, A., Yilmaz, D., Bayiz, U., Samim, E., Turet, S. (2003). Detection of Helicobacter pylori and Its CagA Gene in Tonsil and Adenoid Tissues by PCR. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 129: 1225-1229 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dowsett, S.A., Kowolik, M.J. (2003). ORAL HELICOBACTER PYLORI: CAN WE STOMACH IT?. CROBM 14: 226-233 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • BERROTERAN, A., PERRONE, M., CORRENTI, M., CAVAZZA, M. E., TOMBAZZI, C., GONCALVEZ, R., LECUNA, V. (2002). Detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA in the oral cavity and gastroduodenal system of a Venezuelan population. J Med Microbiol 51: 764-770 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brown, L. M., Thomas, T. L, Ma, J.-L., Chang, Y.-S., You, W.-C., Liu, W.-D., Zhang, L., Pee, D., Gail, M. H (2002). Helicobacter pylori infection in rural China: demographic, lifestyle and environmental factors. Int J Epidemiol 31: 638-645 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chisholm, S. A., Owen, R. J., Teare, E. L., Saverymuttu, S. (2001). PCR-Based Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Real-Time Determination of Clarithromycin Resistance Directly from Human Gastric Biopsy Samples. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 1217-1220 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Han, S.-R., Zschausch, H.-C. E., Meyer, H.-G. W., Schneider, T., Loos, M., Bhakdi, S., Maeurer, M. J. (2000). Helicobacter pylori: Clonal Population Structure and Restricted Transmission within Families Revealed by Molecular Typing. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38: 3646-3651 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»