Nationwide survey of Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance in Thailand

The objectives of this study are to survey the antibiotic-resistant pattern of Helicobacter pylori infection in different geographical locations in Thailand and to determine factors associated with antibiotic resistance. Dyspeptic patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy from the Northern, Northeastern, Central, and Southern regions of Thailand between January 2004 and December 2012 were enrolled in this study. Two antral gastric biopsies were obtained for culture; susceptibility tests were performed using E-test. A total of 3964 were enrolled, and 1350 patients (34.1%) were infected with H. pylori as identified by rapid urease test. Cultures were positive in 619 isolates. E-test for amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, and tetracycline were successful in 400 isolates and for levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in 208 isolates. Antibiotic resistance was present in 50.3% including amoxicillin 5.2%, tetracycline 1.7%, clarithromycin 3.7%, metronidazole 36%, ciprofloxacin 7.7%, levofloxacin 7.2%, and multi-drugs in 4.2%. Clarithromycin resistance was significantly more common in those older than 40 years (i.e., 100% versus 0%; P = 0.04). The prevalence of metronidazole resistant in Southern Thailand was significantly higher than in the Northeastern region (66.7% versus 33.3% P = 0.04). Metronidazole resistance remains the most common antibiotic resistant type of H. pylori in Thailand. The pattern of H. pylori antibiotic resistance over 9 years demonstrated a fall in clarithromycin resistance such that currently age >40 years is a predictor for clarithromycin resistance in Thailand. Quinolone resistance is a growing problem.