Expression of the bacterial gene in gallbladder carcinoma tissue and bile

The major causive factors of gallbladder carcinoma are very complex. Cholecystitis with gallstone was reported one of the most important factors. Many research revealed that cholecystitis or gallstone can give rise to epithelial hyperplasia of gallbladder mucusa or canceration secondarily. In this study, 46 patients were detected in order to find the relationship between infection of different bacteria and formation of gallbladder carcinoma.

Using the common gene primer of bacteria 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), we detected bacterial gene fragments of gallbladder carcinoma tissues in 46 patients by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Relative bile was also detected by PCR in 18 patients who underwent operations, including U-tube drainage (1), right or left biliary tube drainage (4), radical cholecystectomy (9), and cholecystorrhaphy (4). The tissue fragments of gallbladder carcinoma from the remaining 28 patients were paraffin slices.

The positive rate of bacterial DNA in gallbladder carcinoma tissue was 78.3% (36/46). The sequence of 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragments amplified by PCR was approximately 371 base pairs (bp). Multiple kinds of standard bacterial gene fragments obtained from 36 patients included Colibacillus, B.fragilis, Klebsiella, C.perfringens and Clostridium, with a positive rate of 78.3% (36/46). Among the 36 patients, 14 patients with gallbladder carcinoma received operation and their relative bile at operation was detected bacterial gene fragments with a positive rate of 77.8% (14/18). This result was close to that in gallbladder carcinoma tissues.

Our results suggested that there might be a relationship between occurrence of gallbladder carcinoma and infection of different kinds of bacteria, especially anaerobic bacteria C.perfringens. This reminds us that the gallbladder mucosa stimulated by anaerobic and aerobic bacteria might be the principal cause for the development of carcinoma.