Detection of Helicobacter pylori from food sources by a novel multiplex PCR assay

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection is worldwide and it has been recognized as an important cause of gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers. However, the modes of transmission of H. pylori infection are unclear. This study was designed to detect H. pylori from raw or ready-to-eat foods to provide more evidence for oral-oral and fecal-oral transmission patterns. For this purpose, a total of 11 fresh raw chickens from a local grocery and 18 orders of ready-to-eat raw tuna meat from a restaurant were collected. H. pylori were detected with our new multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, which can amplify 10 DNA fragments from five gene loci at the same time. H. pylori were positive in 36% (4/11) of the raw chickens and 44% (8/18) of the ready-to-eat raw tuna meat tested using the new multiplex PCR assay. Our results demonstrate that food might be a vehicle for H. pylori transmission among humans. © 2008, The Author(s).