Article Text
Abstract
Contact of peripheral blood lymphocytes with Helicobacter pylori was proved to induce non- major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytotoxicity and natural killer cells are thought to play an important role in the immunity against H. pylori.
Aims In this research, we investigated any possible association between killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genotypes and H. pylori infection.
Methods KIR genotype was analysed in 101 Lebanese symptomatic patients (51 H. pylori positive and 50 H. pylori-negative) using the KIR Genotyping SSP kit.
Results Among the H. pylori-positive patients, the AA, AB and BB genotypical frequencies were, respectively, 43.14%, 41.18% and 15.68% with an A:B ratio of 1.76:1. The AA, AB and BB genotypes frequencies for H. pylori-negative individuals were 18%, 62% and 20%, respectively, with an A:B ratio of 0.96:1. No significant difference between patients and controls was detected.
Conclusions We noticed a reduced distribution of A haplotype among the ‘H. pylori-negative’ patients as compared with the “H. pylori-positive” group. This is the first study in the international literature that targets the correlation between KIR genotypes and H. pylori.