Epidemiological aspects of Helicobacter pylori infection in children

Background. Among bacterial infections those caused by Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) have a special place. H.pylori infection is more common in childhood and is usually asymptomatic. The study of regional and subregional features of H.pylori infection in children is becoming increasingly important. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of statistical data of annual reports for 5 years (2015–2019) was conducted on the basis of gastroenterological hospitals in Chernivtsi. Results. For the last 5 years, gastroduodenal diseases were most common in the structure of digestive disorders. Since 2013, 916 children (45.5 %) have been diagnosed with H.pylori infection, its frequency increases with age and is sex-dependent. It was found that in 759 (82.8 %) children with a positive test for H.pylori, diseases of the stomach and duodenum were diagnosed in first- and second-degree relatives, more often through the maternal line — in 455 (59.9 %) people. There is a direct link between endoscopic nodular gastritis and H.pylori infection. Conclusions. The prevalence of H.pylori among the child population of Chernivtsi region is 45.5 %. H.pylori infection is a disease of different periods of childhood with predominance in girls and is accompanied by lesions of the gastric and duodenal mucosa, its frequency increases with age of children that is accompanied by an increase in erosive-ulcerative lesions.

Nodularity-like appearance in the cardia: novel endoscopic findings for Helicobacter pylori infection

Background and study aims Helicobacter pylori-associated nodular gastritis, which is associated with follicular lymphoid hyperplasia, is mainly recognized in the antrum. However, we have also observed nodularity-like appearance in the cardia. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of cardiac nodularity-like appearance in H. pylori-associated gastritis. Patients and methods Patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and were evaluated for H. pylori infection for the first time were enrolled. A nodularity-like appearance in the cardia was defined as a miliary nodular appearance or scattered appearances of small circular whitish coloration. H. pylori infection was diagnosed according to serum anti-H. pylori antibody and the urea breath test or histology. Accuracy of the H. pylori infection diagnoses based on nodularity-like appearance were assessed. Results Among 265 patients, 42 patients (15.8 %) were diagnosed as positive for H. pylori. Cardiac nodularity-like appearance and antral nodularity were recognized in 25 and 15 patients, respectively. In accuracy of predicting H. pylori by cardiac nodularity-like appearance, specificity was 0.996, sensitivity was 0.571, positive predictive value was 0.960, negative predictive value was 0.925, and accuracy was 0.928. The sensitivity of cardiac nodularity-like appearance was significantly higher than that of antral nodularity (P = 0.0284). Conclusions Cardiac nodularity-like appearance had a high accuracy rate for H. pylori infection diagnosis. Cardiac nodularity-like appearance was found more frequently than antral nodularity.

Complete Genome Sequence of Helicobacter suis Strain SNTW101c, Originally Isolated from a Patient with Nodular Gastritis

Helicobacter suis strain SNTW101c, which was originally obtained from a patient with nodular gastritis, has been maintained in mouse stomach because of difficulty culturing it in vitro. Recently, we succeeded in culturing this strain in vitro. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of H. suis strain SNTW101c.