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Evidence of intra-familial transmission of Helicobacter pylori by PCR-based RAPD fingerprinting in Bangladesh

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Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is a genetically diverse bacterial species, which has facilitated adaptation to new hosts and persists worldwide. The main objective of this study was to explore intra-familial transmission of H. pylori in Bangladesh. We characterized H. pylori in 35 families including 138 family members using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. Forty-six percent of H. pylori isolated from the mother shared a related genotype with strains isolated from their children. Twenty-nine percent of H. pylori isolates of the mother are related to the youngest children. Only 6% of the parents shared related genotype of H. pylori. These findings suggest that mother-to-child transmission occurs in early childhood and is the most probable route of transmission of H. pylori in Bangladesh.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted in the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B), which is supported by countries and agencies that share its concern for the health problems of developing countries. This program is entirely supported by SIDA/SAREC (Grant #GR-00384, Research Protocol Number 2005-010). ICDDR, B acknowledges with gratitude the commitment of SIDA to the Centre’s research efforts. The authors thank Dr. Habiba Yeasmin, Dr. Shamima Sultana and the field staffs of Nandipara Clinic of ICDDR, B for their help in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    S. Nahar, K. M. K. Kibria, S. A. Sarker, P. K. Bardhan & H. P. Endtz

  2. International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India

    Md. E. Hossain

  3. City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    J. Sultana

  4. Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Stockholm, Sweden

    L. Engstrand

  5. Family Health International, Bangkok, Thailand

    M. Rahman

  6. Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    H. P. Endtz

  7. Laboratory Sciences Division, ICDDR, B, GPO Box-128, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh

    S. Nahar

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  1. S. Nahar
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Correspondence to S. Nahar.

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Nahar, S., Kibria, K.M.K., Hossain, M.E. et al. Evidence of intra-familial transmission of Helicobacter pylori by PCR-based RAPD fingerprinting in Bangladesh. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 28, 767–773 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-008-0699-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-008-0699-8

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