Vacuolating cytotoxic activity of 40 Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from Turkish patients

In this study we examined the in vitro vacuolating cytotoxic activity of He licobacter pylori, which is a gram-negative microaerophilic curved bacteriu m and a causative agent of gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric ulcer. A vac uolating cytotoxin assay was performed to assess the vacuolating activity o f 40 strains (20 gastritis, 11 gastric ulcer, and 9 duodenal ulcer), which were obtained from patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Th e Vero cell line was used in the cytotoxic assay. Of the 40 isolates, 24 (1 2 gastritis, 6 gastric ulcer, 6 duodenal ulcer) were cytotoxic for the Vero cell line at 1:4 and 1:8 dilutions. Thus, vacuolating cytotoxin of H. pylo ri affects the Vero cell line, but it seems there is no correlation between the positivity of the strains and the risk of any particular H. pylori dis ease.