Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Helicobacter pylori May Play a Contributory Role in the Pathogenesis of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) DNA has been identified in human livers and has been implicated in chronic liver disease and liver cancer. To better understand the role of H pylori in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), 25 patients with end-stage PSC and 31 controls were studied. Genomic DNA was extracted from microdissected hilar hepatic ducts of liver explants and was amplified for H pylori DNA. Serum was tested for H pylori antibodies. Helicobacter DNA was detected in 9 of the 56 (16%) patients by 16SrRNA PCR (an additional case [for a total of 18%] was antibody positive). Seven of the 9 cases identified by polymerase chain reaction were positive for the CagA gene, confirming they were H pylori. Seven of the 25 (28%) patients with PSC and 3 of the 31 (9.7%) controls were positive for Helicobacter (P=.087). H pylori DNA was detected in microdissected hilar biliary epithelium in more PSC patients than controls, supporting the hypothesis that bile reflux from the duodenum into the biliary tract might carry H pylori organisms into the proximal biliary system, possibly contributing to PSC development and/or progression in some patients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kruszon-Moran D, McQuillan GM (2005) Seroprevalence of six infectious diseases among adults in the United States by race/ethnicity: data from the third national health and nutrition examination survey, 1988–94. Adv Data:1–9

  2. Podzorski RP, Podzorski DS, Wuerth A, Tolia V (2003) Analysis of the vacA, cagA, cagE, iceA, and babA2 genes in Helicobacter pylori from sixty-one pediatric patients from the Midwestern United States. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 46:83–88

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Evans DG, Queiroz DM, Mendes EN, Evans DJ Jr (1998) Helicobacter pylori cagA status and s and m alleles of vacA in isolates from individuals with a variety of H. pylori-associated gastric diseases. J Clin Microbiol 36:3435–3437

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Rocha M, Avenaud P, Menard A, Le Bail B, Balabaud C, Bioulac-Sage P, de Magalhaes Queiroz DM, Megraud F (2005) Association of Helicobacter species with hepatitis C cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma. Gut 54:396–401

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Dore MP, Realdi G, Mura D, Graham DY, Sepulveda AR (2002) Helicobacter infection in patients with HCV-related chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Dig Dis Sci 47:1638–1643

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Ponzetto A, Pellicano R, Redaelli A, Rizzetto M, Roffi L (2003) Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with hepatitis C Virus positive chronic liver diseases. New Microbiol 26:321–328

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Nilsson HO, Mulchandani R, Tranberg KG, Stenram U, Wadstrom T (2001) Helicobacter species identified in liver from patients with cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology 120:323–324

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Avenaud P, Marais A, Monteiro L, Le Bail B, Bioulac Sage P, Balabaud C, Megraud F (2000) Detection of Helicobacter species in the liver of patients with and without primary liver carcinoma. Cancer 89:1431–1439

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Nilsson HO, Taneera J, Castedal M, Glatz E, Olsson R, Wadstrom T (2000) Identification of Helicobacter pylori and other Helicobacter species by PCR, hybridization, and partial DNA sequencing in human liver samples from patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis or primary biliary cirrhosis. J Clin Microbiol 38:1072–1076

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Leong RW, Sung JJ (2002) Review article: Helicobacter species and hepatobiliary diseases. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 16:1037–1045

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Coppola N, De Stefano G, Marrocco C, Scarano F, Scolastico C, Tarantino L, Piccinino F, Sagnelli E, Giorgio A, Filippini P (2002) Absence of Helicobacter spp in the liver of patients with primary or metastatic liver cancer. Hepatology 36:1300–1301

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Durazzo M, Pellicano R, Premoli A, Berrutti M, Leone N, Ponzetto A, Rizzetto M (2002) Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. Dig Dis Sci 47:380–383

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Tanaka A, Prindiville TP, Gish R, Solnick JV, Coppel RL, Keeffe EB, Ansari A, Gershwin ME (1999) Are infectious agents involved in primary biliary cirrhosis? A PCR approach. J Hepatol 31:664–671

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Fallone CA, Tran S, Semret M, Discepola F, Behr M, Barkun AN (2003) Helicobacter DNA in bile: correlation with hepato-biliary diseases. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 17:453–458

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Fox JG, Dewhirst FE, Shen Z, Feng Y, Taylor NS, Paster BJ, Ericson RL, Lau CN, Correa P, Araya JC, Roa I (1998) Hepatic Helicobacter species identified in bile and gallbladder tissue from Chileans with chronic cholecystitis. Gastroenterology 114:755–763

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Miehlke S, Kibler K, Kim JG, Figura N, Small SM, Graham DY, Go MF (1996) Allelic variation in the cagA gene of Helicobacter pylori obtained from Korea compared to the United States. Am J Gastroenterol 91:1322–1325

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Yao Y, Tao H, Kim JJ, Burkhead B, Carloni E, Gasbarrini A, Sepulveda AR (2004) Alterations of DNA mismatch repair proteins and microsatellite instability levels in gastric cancer cell lines. Lab Invest 84:915–922

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Fox JG, Shen Z, Feng F, Dufour JF, Kaplan MM, Dewhirst FE (1998) Enterohepatic Helicobacter spp. identified from humans with primary biliary cirrhosis. Gut 43:A3

    Google Scholar 

  19. Marshall BJ (1995) The 1995 Albert Lasker Medical Research Award. Helicobacter pylori. The etiologic agent for peptic ulcer. JAMA 274:1064–1066

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Dore MP, Realdi G, Sepulveda AR, Graham DY (2003) Detection of genomic Helicobacter pylori DNA in the blood of patients positive for the infection. Dig Liver Dis 35:839–840

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Ljungh A, Wadstrom T (2002) The role of microorganisms in biliary tract disease. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 4:167–171

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Graham DY, Osato MS, Olson CA, Zhang J, Figura N (1998) Effect of H. pylori infection and CagA status on leukocyte counts and liver function tests: extra-gastric manifestations of H. pylori infection. Helicobacter 3:174–178

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Division of Anatomic Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Alyssa M. Krasinskas, Yuan Yao & Antonia R. Sepulveda

  2. Department of Pathology, Division of Transplant and Liver Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Parmjeet Randhawa

  3. Istituto di Clinica Medica, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

    Maria P. Dore

  4. Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Presbyterian Hospital, A610 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-2546, USA

    Alyssa M. Krasinskas

Authors
  1. Alyssa M. Krasinskas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yuan Yao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Parmjeet Randhawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Maria P. Dore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonia R. Sepulveda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alyssa M. Krasinskas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Krasinskas, A.M., Yao, Y., Randhawa, P. et al. Helicobacter pylori May Play a Contributory Role in the Pathogenesis of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Dig Dis Sci 52, 2265–2270 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-007-9803-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-007-9803-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation