[Relationship between antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence factors in Helicobacter pylori clinical isolates]

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the antibiotic susceptibility and different virulence factors among Helicobacter pylori clinical isolates. One hundred and forty-five strains were isolated from biopsy cultures obtained from adult patients. Antimicrobial susceptibility to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole and tetracycline were tested using an agar dilution method. cagA and iceA genes and s1 and s2 alleles of vacA were studied by polymerase chain reaction. A group of patients had been previously treated for H. pylori infection. We found a resistance rate of 28.7% and 16.5% to metronidazole and clarithromycin, respectively. We did not find any resistance to amoxicillin or tetracycline. The cagA gene and s1 allele were detected in 86.3% and 65.2% of the strains. One hundred and two (71.3%) strains were iceA+. cagA+ strains showed lower percentages of resistance to antibiotics, as did vacA s1 and iceA+ strains. The role of lower rates of resistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole in more virulent H. pylori strains may have favorable effects in their eradication in patients infected with these strains.