Diversity of Helicobacter pylori genotypes among Estonian and Russian patients with perforated peptic ulcer, living in Southern Estonia.

To compare the genomic variation of Helicobacter pylori in samples obtained from patients with perforated peptic ulcer, living in the same area of Estonia but belonging to different nationalities, 50 non-consecutive patients (32 Estonians and 18 Russians) admitted in the Tartu University Hospital in 1997-1999 were studied. Gastric samples of antral mucosa were obtained during operation and analysed histologically and with PCR for detection of different genotypes of H. pylori (cagA and vacA s and m subtypes). Among the 50 perforated peptic ulcer patients with histologically proven H. pylori colonisation no sample of gastric mucosa showed the s1b subtype of the vacA gene. The perforated peptic ulcer patients were mainly infected with cagA (82%) and s1 (98%) genotypes of H. pylori. The distribution of s1a/m1, s1a/m2 and s2/m2 subtypes of vacA genes was statistically different in Estonian and Russian patients (P<0.05). In conclusion differences in the distribution of vacA s and m subtypes of H. pylori were revealed between Estonian and Russian patients with perforated peptic ulcer from Southern Estonia.