HELICOBACTER-PYLORI INFECTION IN SPOUSES OF PATIENTS WITH DUODENAL-ULCERS AND COMPARISON OF RIBOSOMAL-RNA GENE PATTERNS

Background-In recent studies, familial coinfection with the same Helic obacter pylori strains has been indicated, but more data are necessary to confirm intrafamilial spread of the micro-organism. Aims-The aim o f this study was (a) to assess the frequency of H pylori infection in spouses of patients with duodenal ulcers and (b) to investigate the po ssibility of intraspousal transmission of H pylori by molecular typing of the respective strains. Patients-Sixty four patients with duodenal ulcer and their spouses were included in the study. Methods-The H pyl ori infection was confirmed after endoscopy by culture and histologica l examination of biopsy specimens, and CLO test. The isolates were com pared on the basis of their rRNA gene patterns (ribopatterns) after di gestion of chromosomal DNA by the restriction endonucleases HaeIII or HindIII. Results-Of the patients, 54 were found to be H pylori positiv e. Of the respective spouses, 42 (78%) were also H pylori positive. In contrast, only two out of 10 (20%) partners of H pylori negative pati ents were infected. Ribopatterns of H pylori strains derived from 18 p atients and their spouses showed that in each of eight couples a singl e strain had colonised both partners, while in the remaining 10 couple s each partner was colonised by a distinct H pylori strain. Conclusion s-These data suggest person to person transmission within couples or e xposure to a common source of infection.