[Molecular detection and genotypification of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsies from symptomatic adult patients in Santa Fe, Argentina].

Our goals were: a) to detect Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsies of symptomatic adults by PCR, b) to detect the presence of the cagA gene as well as of the allelic variants of the vacA gene, and c) to correlate genotypes with the endoscopic diagnoses. H. pylori was detected in 81 % (39/48) of patients by nested PCR for hsp60. The presence of cagA was detected in 15/22 of samples and vacA s1 - m1 was the most frequent allelic combination (15/22). Gastritis, the most frequent diagnosis, was associated with genotype cagA+ in 10/13 of patients. In this group, 9/13 showed the allelic variant vacA s1- m1. The variant vacA s2 - m2 was detected in 3/3 of gastritis cases by H. pylori with the cagA- genotype. These results are the first reported in our region and provide data of epidemiological interest.