Occult Helicobacter pylori infection in children: molecular detection and association with gastric dysbiosis.
Occult H. pylori infection found in 55 of 136 children negative on standard testing
Occult Helicobacter pylori infection in children: molecular detection and association with gastric dysbiosis.
Occult Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, characterized by a low bacterial load that often escapes detection by conventional diagnostic methods, may influence treatment response and prognosis in pediatric patients.
In this study we aimed to identify occult H. pylori infection in children using molecular techniques and to characterize associated alterations in the gastric microbiota.
Among 153 enrolled children, 17 were clinically diagnosed with H. pylori infection.
We enrolled pediatric patients with gastrointestinal disorders who underwent routine clinical diagnostic testing for Helicobacter pylori infection, including 13 C-urea breath test, rapid urease test performed on gastric mucosal biopsy specimens, and/or histopathological examination of gastric tissue.
Gastric mucosal samples were further analyzed using H. pylori -specific 16S rRNA nested polymerase chain reaction (polymerase chain reaction), glmM quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and next-generation sequencing.
These findings indicate that occult H.
pylori infection was prevalent in our cohort of symptomatic children, frequently undetected by conventional diagnostic methods, and is associated with persistent mucosal inflammation and distinct gastric microbial signatures.