Studies on the relationship between adhesive activity and haemagglutination by Helicobacter pylori

The adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to gastric carcinoma cells (MKN45, KatoIII and MKN28) and Intestine-407 cells was tested by flow cytometric analysis. The mean adhesion rates of H. pylori strains to MKN45, KatoIII and Intestine-407 cells were 90.5, 42.7 and 15.1%, respectively. There was no statistical correlation between the adhesion rates to MKN45 cells and haemagglutination (HA) activity of H. pylori strains, although H. pylori strains with high HA activity with human type O erythrocytes tended to adhere effectively to MKN45 cells. No correlation between adhesion and production of vacuolating toxin was observed.