Helicobacter pylori Pathogenic Factors and Their Interactions With the Gastric Microbiome

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Gastroenterology
• Genomics

Background:

• Global gastric cancer incidence is not fully explained by Helicobacter pylori infection rates or pathogenicity.
• Investigated pathogenic factors of H. pylori and their interactions with the gastric microbiome in Indonesia, a population with low gastric cancer but high gastritis rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of H. pylori pathogenic factors and their interaction with the gastric microbiome.
• To explore the influence of co-habiting bacteria on gastric disease outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed 66 H. pylori-positive gastric biopsies using 16S rRNA sequencing.
• Examined microbiome diversity (α and β) and abundance, alongside H. pylori pathogenic factors.
• Utilized correlation analysis (SECOM) and predicted functional inference (PICRUSt2).

Main Results:

• Virulent H. pylori genotypes correlated with greater microbial diversity, suggesting co-colonization.
• Specific taxa like Veillonella and Klebsiella showed notable abundance across pathogenic subtypes.
• Microbial diversity varied with H. pylori polymorphisms (CagA, sabA, homA/B, iceA) and decreased with worsening atrophy.
• Helicobacter showed a positive correlation with Veillonella; Streptococcus correlated with several gastric taxa.
• Predicted functional analysis indicated pathway depletion with disease progression.

Conclusions:

• Pathogenic factors of H. pylori significantly impact gastric microbial diversity.
• Co-habiting bacteria in the stomach may influence disease outcomes.
• Further research is needed to understand the role of non-Helicobacter species in gastric pathologies.