Microbiological evidence of Helicobacter pylori from dental plaque in dyspeptic patients

To evaluate the possible route of transmission of Helicobacter pylori, stomach biopsies and dental plaques were cultured from patients with dyspeptic symptoms who underwent endoscopy. A total of 31 patients were examined. Twenty patients out of thirty one (64%) were H. pylori positive in gastric biopsy. Among the microorganisms isolated in dental plaque only one sample (corresponding to a patients with duodenal ulcer H. pylori positive) showed colonies morphologically and biochemically compatible with H. pylori. Proteic patterns of whole cells and restriction endonuclease analysis with Hind III and Hae III endonucleases of DNA extracted from the strain subcultured from a stomach biopsy and from dental plaque of the same patient indicated that both sites were infected with the same strain of H. pylori.