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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2001, p. 1339-1344, Vol. 39, No. 4
Delft Diagnostic
Laboratory1 and R. de Graaf
Hospital,3 Delft, Department of Internal
Medicine, Bernhoven Hospital, Oss,4 and
Department of Microbiology, Bosch Medicentrum, Den
Bosch,5 The Netherlands; IPATIMUP
and Medical Faculty, University of Porto, Porto,
Portugal2; Division of Infectious
Diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville,
Tennessee6; and Department of
Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New
York7
Received 28 September 2000/Returned for modification 22 December
2000/Accepted 26 January 2001
Helicobacter pylori strains can be distinguished by
genotyping of virulence-associated genes, such as vacA and
cagA. Because serological discrimination between strain
types would reduce the need for endoscopy, 61 patients carrying
H. pylori were studied by vacA and
cagA genotyping of H. pylori in gastric biopsy
specimens and by detection of specific serum antibodies. Serological
responses to H. pylori were determined by
Helicoblot (versions 2.0 and 2.1). Antibodies to CagA also were determined by a rapid anti-CagA assay (Pyloriset screen CagA) as well as by two noncommercially
developed enzyme immunoassays, each using a recombinant CagA protein.
Assessment of performance of the Helicoblot assays
indicated substantial interobserver variation, with kappa values
between 0.20 and 0.93. There was no relationship between the
serological profiles on the Helicoblot and the genotypes
from the same patients, except for strong associations between the
presence of anti-CagA and the cagA-positive and
vacA s1 H. pylori genotypes. Detection of anti-CagA by the five different assays varied considerably, with kappa
values ranging from 0.21 to 0.78. Using the cagA genotype as the "gold standard," the sensitivity and specificity of the anti-CagA assays varied from 71.4 to 85.7% and from 54.2 to 100%, respectively. Thus, serological profiles of antibodies to H. pylori are heterogeneous and, with the exception of anti-CagA
antibodies, show no relation to the H. pylori vacA and
cagA genotypes. Detection of anti-CagA antibodies is
strongly dependent on the test used.
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.4.1339-1344.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Assessment of Helicobacter pylori vacA
and cagA Genotypes and Host Serological Response
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Delft Diagnostic
Laboratory, R. de Graafweg 7, 2625 AD Delft, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-15-2604581. Fax: 31-15-2604550. E-mail:
L.J.van.Doorn{at}ddl.nl.
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