TY - JOUR
T1 - Helicobacter infections with rare bacteria or minimal gastritis
T2 - Expecting the unexpected
AU - Glickman, Jonathan N.
AU - Noffsinger, Amy
AU - Nevin, Daniel T.
AU - Ray, Mukunda
AU - Lash, Richard H.
AU - Genta, Robert M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l.
PY - 2015/7/1
Y1 - 2015/7/1
N2 - Background: The routine use of special stains for detection of Helicobacter remains controversial. Aims: To determine the frequency of histologically atypical Helicobacter infection. Methods: All gastric biopsies received at a large pathology reference laboratory over a 6-month period were stained for Helicobacter, and the histologic and clinicopathologic parameters evaluated. Results: Amongst 7663 Helicobacter-positive biopsies, 823 (10.7%) did not show typical chronic active gastritis with numerous Helicobacter organisms, and were therefore considered histologically atypical. Rare Helicobacter pylori organisms accounted for 58.0% of all atypical infections; the next most common atypical Helicobacter infection was that with minimal or no gastric inflammation (23.3% of atypical infections). Patients in these groups did not differ demographically from those with other forms of atypical or typical Helicobacter infection, although a small subgroup (6%) was more likely to have had a previously treated infection. Conclusions: In many of these atypical infections, Helicobacter would not have been suspected based on the histologic findings alone, and would have been missed without routine special stains. Performing a sensitive stain could prevent additional testing and allow prompt treatment of the affected patients, thus substantially reducing the risk for peptic ulcer and gastric cancer and preventing the transmission of the infection to family members.
AB - Background: The routine use of special stains for detection of Helicobacter remains controversial. Aims: To determine the frequency of histologically atypical Helicobacter infection. Methods: All gastric biopsies received at a large pathology reference laboratory over a 6-month period were stained for Helicobacter, and the histologic and clinicopathologic parameters evaluated. Results: Amongst 7663 Helicobacter-positive biopsies, 823 (10.7%) did not show typical chronic active gastritis with numerous Helicobacter organisms, and were therefore considered histologically atypical. Rare Helicobacter pylori organisms accounted for 58.0% of all atypical infections; the next most common atypical Helicobacter infection was that with minimal or no gastric inflammation (23.3% of atypical infections). Patients in these groups did not differ demographically from those with other forms of atypical or typical Helicobacter infection, although a small subgroup (6%) was more likely to have had a previously treated infection. Conclusions: In many of these atypical infections, Helicobacter would not have been suspected based on the histologic findings alone, and would have been missed without routine special stains. Performing a sensitive stain could prevent additional testing and allow prompt treatment of the affected patients, thus substantially reducing the risk for peptic ulcer and gastric cancer and preventing the transmission of the infection to family members.
KW - Gastritis
KW - Immunohistochemistry
KW - Special stains
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U2 - 10.1016/j.dld.2015.04.005
DO - 10.1016/j.dld.2015.04.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 26003395
AN - SCOPUS:84937629603
SN - 1590-8658
VL - 47
SP - 549
EP - 555
JO - Digestive and Liver Disease
JF - Digestive and Liver Disease
IS - 7
ER -