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Non-Helicobacter bacterial flora rarely develops in the gastric mucosal layer of children

Seiichi Kato1, Shigeru Fujimura, Katsunori Kimura

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Seiryo-machi, Sendai, Japan. skato@ped.med.tohoku.ac.jp

Digestive Diseases and Sciences
|April 15, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Gastric microbiota in children is rare, unlike in adults. Lower gastric pH and less atrophy in children prevent non-Helicobacter bacterial colonization, regardless of H. pylori infection status.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatric Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Non-Helicobacter bacteria colonize adult gastric mucosa, but their presence in children is unstudied.
  • Helicobacter pylori infection is linked to altered gastric pH and potential bacterial overgrowth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and characteristics of gastric biota in children.
  • To compare gastric microflora between children and adults, considering H. pylori status and gastric pH.

Main Methods:

  • Biopsy specimens and gastric juice from 10 children and 10 adults were analyzed for bacterial presence using culture and real-time PCR.
  • Bacterial identification utilized 52 genus- and species-specific primer sets.
  • Data were compared between age groups, H. pylori status, and luminal pH.

Main Results:

  • Non-Helicobacter bacteria were cultured from all adults but only one child (p < .001).
  • Children had significantly lower gastric pH (median 1.4) than adults (median 2.6) (p < .005).
  • Adult gastric pH correlated positively with bacterial counts; gastric atrophy was more severe in adults.

Conclusions:

  • Non-Helicobacter bacteria rarely colonize the gastric mucosa in children, irrespective of H. pylori status.
  • Lower gastric pH and reduced gastric atrophy in children appear to inhibit bacterial colonization.
  • Impaired gastric acid secretion in adults with H. pylori facilitates non-Helicobacter bacterial colonization.

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