Epidemiology of Campylobacter pylori infection: ethnic considerations

A proper perspective of the association of Campylobacter pylori with various diseases can be achieved only when the incidence of C. pylori infection in the normal population is known. We used the 13C urea breath test (a simple, specific, noninvasive, safe, and reproducible method to assess the presence of active C. pylori infection) to compare the frequency of C. pylori infection in healthy young adults from three areas of the world. We studied 26 women and 32 men (ages 20 to 29): 29 from the United States, 10 from China, 6 from Mexico, and 13 from India. All foreign nationals had been in the United States 5 years or less. The frequency of C. pylori infection was 21%, 67%, 33% and 46%, for those from the U.S., China, Mexico and India, respectively. Although, we found no difference in the frequency of C. pylori infection among ethnic groups from North America (U.S. citizens compared with citizens of Mexico), all individuals studied were of middle to upper class socioeconomic status. Subsequent studies will investigate whether the prevalence of C. pylori infection is different in economically disadvantaged populations. Our results suggest that there may be major differences in the age-related frequency of C. pylori infection in individuals from different parts of the world.