No evidence of Helicobacter pylori sequences in pancreatic juices of patients affected by chronic pancreatitis

Background: The course of chronic pancreatitis is often unpredictable and m any factors are likely to be involved in the progression of the disease. In physiological condition, pancreatic juice exerts significant antibacterial activity, which is impaired in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Aim: Hypothesizing that Helicobacter pylori could, in these conditions, lea d to an ascending infection, we aimed to assess the presence of H. pylori s equences in pancreatic juices of patients with chronic pancreatitis. Methods: 40 patients (mean age 52 +/- 3 yr) with alcoholic chronic pancreat itis and H. pylori infection were examined. Pancreatic juices were collecte d during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Using polymerase c hain reaction (BCR) with two primers homologous to a portion of urease-C ge ne, H. pylori DNA was detected. Gastric biopsies, microscopically positive to H. pylori were used as positive controls. Results: All gastric biopsies produced H. pylori-specific DNA products. Con versely, no H. pylori urease-C gene sequences have been detected in any of the pancreatic juices. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the impaired antibacterial activity of pa ncreatic juices in patients affected by chronic pancreatitis does not have a permissive role for a superimposing H. pylori infection in the pancreas. The possibility that Helicobacter species other than pylori may be involved in a superimposing infection requires further investigation.