[670] Helicobacter Pylori Detection in Gastric and Oral Mucosa

ML Spencer, E Sepulveda, C Briceno, S Quilodran, U Brethauer, J Moreno, A Garcia. College of Dentistry, Universidad de Concepcin, Concepcin, Chile; College of Medicine, Universidad de Concepcin, Concepcin, Chile; Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepcin, Concepcin, Chile; Universidad Catlica Santsima Concepcin, Concepcin, Chile

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been related to various gastroduodenal pathologies like gastritis, peptic ulcer and carcinoma. Some authors have reported that the oral cavity could be a reservoir for the bacteria in patients with gastric H. pylori and thus, its detection in the oral cavity could represent a non-invasive method to detect its presence. Conventional methods have failed in the detection of H. pylori in the oral cavity, maybe because of its low counts. The objective of this study was to detect H. pylori in the oral cavity of patients with positive cultures for H. pylori of gastric biopsies.
Design: Fifty-four patients with medical indication of digestive endoscopy from the Gastroenterology Unit of the Regional Hospital of Concepcin, Chile, were studied. Gastric samples were obtained from each patient from antrum and corpus through endoscopy biopsies and studied by culture. Positive samples were genetically verified by conventional PCR. Oral samples from all patients with positive gastric cultures for H. pylori (n=21) were obtained from dental plaque and saliva swabs from the floor of the mouth and the base of the tongue. All oral samples were studied by culture, conventional PCR and Real Time PCR.
Results: All cultures from oral samples were negative (0/21) for H. pylori. Only one sample of dental plaque was positive with conventional PCR (1/21), while all samples of saliva were negative. However, samples from all patients were positive with Real Time PCR (20/21 dental plaque, 21/21 saliva from the floor of the mouth, 20/21 saliva from the base of the tongue).

Quantification showed that there is 1x103 less bacteria in the mouth than in gastric samples.
Conclusions: The results suggest that there is a correlation between the presence of H. pylori in gastric mucosa and the oral cavity. Also, that Real Time PCR is the best technique to detect low numbers of bacteria in the oral cavity.
Category: Gastrointestinal

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 1:00 PM

Poster Session VI # 86, Wednesday Afternoon