Vacuolating Cytotoxin A (vacA) Gene in Peptic Ulcer Disease and Non-ulcer Dyspepsia

• Main Authors: Hashem Fakhre Yaseri, Mehdi Shakaraby, Hamid Reza Bradaran, Seyed Kamran Soltani Arabshhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2016-08-01
• Series: Journal of Medical Bacteriology
• Subjects: Peptic ulcer disease; Non-ulcer dyspepsia; Vaculating cytotoxin A (vacA) gene; Vaculating cytotoxic protein (VacA)
• Online Access: http://jmb.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmb/article/view/185

<div><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p><strong><em>Background</em></strong><strong>:<em> </em></strong>  Vaculating cytotoxic A (<em>vacA</em>) gene is one of the multiple <em>Helicobacter pylori</em> genotypes that produce a cytotoxin protein (VacA).This gene is a major cause of chronic peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between <em>vacA</em> gene with peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD). </p><p><strong><em>Methods</em></strong><strong>:<em>   </em></strong>This was a case control study of 130 patients, aged 16-64, with positive <em>H. pylori</em> in histological and Giemsa reports. The case and control groups included 65 PUD patients and 65 NUD patients, respectively. The presence of the <em>vacA</em> gene genotypes was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on biopsy samples, taken by endoscopy. </p><p><strong><em>Results</em></strong><strong>:<em> </em></strong><em>  </em>In the case group, gastric ulcer was detected in 41.5% (27) of the participants; of whom, 77.8% (21) were female; and duodenal ulcer was found in 58.5% (38) of the participants, of whom,42.1 % (16)were female. The control group (NUD) included 65 patients; of them,45% (29) were female and the average age was 36.4 ±10.8 years (18 to 60).The total frequency of the <em>vacA </em>gene was 53% (69/130),with 60% in the PUD and 46% in the NUD groups (Odds ratio:1.75,95% CI:1.42-2.12,P=0.25)..</p><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><strong><em>Conclusion</em>:<em> </em></strong>  The <em>vacA</em> gene alone could not be a reliable diagnostic marker for discriminating peptic ulcer disease from non-ulcer dyspepsia in the Iranian population under study.