Helicobacter in Aquatic Environments: Study of Use of Molecular Techniques for Detection of a Pathogen
collaborator: Ed Landa
Helicobacter pylori has been recognized as an emerging pathogen and is the causative agent of gastritis, duodenal ulcers, and has been implicated in gastric cancers. The transmission route of H. pylori is unclear, although, fecal-oral or oral-oral routes have been suggested. To better understand the infectivity of H. pylori it is important to determine its presence in the environment. The focus of this study was along the Yukon River in Alaska where H. pylori infection rates are very high among natives in rural villages. A number of these villages depend on the Yukon River as a primary water source.
This study examines the use of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) as a predictor of the presence of Helicobacter spp. A combination of standard culture and molecular techniques were used to detect and quantify FIB, Helicobacter spp. and H. pylori from five North American rivers of different size and with different land use characteristics. Primers designed to amplify genes specific to Helicobacter spp. and H. pylori were evaluated for their efficacy in detection and quantification in environmental samples. Helicobacter spp. were detected in 18/33 (55%) of river samples. H. pylori was detected in 11/33 (33%) of river samples. FIB were found in 32/33 (96%) of river samples. When FIB abundance exceeded USEPA water quality standards for single samples, Helicobacter or H. pylori were detected in 7/15 (47%) cases. No numerical correlation was found between the presence of FIB and either Helicobacter spp. or H. pylori.
This suggests that the presence of FIB will be of limited use for detection of Helicobacter spp. or H. pylori by public health agencies.
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Links
Yukon StudyFecal-Indicator Samples - a chapter from the "Water and Sediment Quality in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, During Water Year 2001, Open-File Report 03-427"
