PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - M Kudo
AU  - O Gutierrez
AU  - H M T El-Zimaity
AU  - H Cardona
AU  - Z Z Nurgalieva
AU  - J Wu
AU  - D Y Graham
TI  - CagA in Barrett’s oesophagus in Colombia, a country with a high prevalence of gastric cancer
AID  - 10.1136/jcp.2004.022251
DP  - 2005 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of Clinical Pathology
PG  - 259--262
VI  - 58
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/58/3/259.short
4100  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/58/3/259.full
SO  - J Clin Pathol2005 Mar 01; 58
AB  - Background: In the USA, atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer are rare, whereas gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common. Infection with Helicobacter pylori, especially a CagA positive strain, is unusual in patients with GERD/Barrett’s oesophagus in the USA. Aim: To examine the relation between Barrett’s oesophagus and CagA positive H pylori in Colombia, a country with a high prevalence of CagA positive H pylori associated atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer. Methods:Helicobacter pylori and CagA status was determined among Colombian patients with long segment Barrett’s oesophagus and a control group with simple H pylori gastritis. Helicobacter pylori status was determined using a triple stain and CagA status was determined by immunohistochemistry using a specific rabbit anti-CagA serum. Results: Gastric and oesophageal mucosal biopsies were obtained from 51 patients—39 men (mean age, 57.8 years; SD, 13.1) and 12 women (mean age, 51.8 years; SD, 14.4)—with documented long segment Barrett’s oesophagus. The results were compared with 24 Colombian patients with H pylori gastritis without oesophageal disease. Thirty two patients with Barrett’s oesophagus had active H pylori infection. CagA status was evaluated in a subset of 23 H pylori infected patients with Barrett’s oesophagus, and was positive in eight of these patients compared with 19 of 24 controls (p  =  0.01). Conclusions: Although most Colombian patients with Barrett’s oesophagus had H pylori infection, CagA positive infections were unusual. These data illustrate how consistent corpus inflammation reduces acid secretion, which prevents Barrett’s oesophagus among those with abnormal gastro-oesophageal reflux barriers.