Avaliação de genótipo de virulência de Helicobacter pylori em amostras de cavidade oral

Abstract

To assess the presence of the Helicobacter pylori cagA gene in oral cavity samples, as well as its relationship with sociodemographic and health variables. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in Passo Fundo - RS. Participants were of both sexes, over 18 years of age, who were waiting to be seen at the UFFS teaching clinics. Participants were given a questionnaire and had a sample taken from their oral cavity. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique was used to test for H. pylori and the cagA gene. The statistical analysis consisted of the distribution of frequencies of the descriptive variables, the prevalence of cagA gene positivity and the relationship between them, with a 95% confidence interval. Results: The majority of the sample (n=67) were women, living in urban areas and with an average age of 51.4 years. The average number of people living in the same household was 2.85 and the prevalence of alcohol consumption and smoking was 49.3% and 43.3% respectively. The symptom of heartburn was the most common (52.2%) among those interviewed, followed by dyspepsia (29.9%). The cagA gene was detected in 9 of the 67 samples, showing a prevalence of 13.4% in the population studied. There was a higher distribution of H. pylori samples positive for the cagA virulence gene in individuals who reported nausea (37.5, p = 0.009). Conclusion: The study showed a prevalence of the cagA gene similar to that found in the current literature. This research contributes to clarifying the presence of the bacterium in the human oral cavity and the possibility of this method of analysis being used as a form of screening in at-risk or symptomatic patients.