Isolation and characterization of Helicobacter pylori recovered from gastric biopsies under anaerobic conditions

Abstract Background and Aim Helicobacter pylori can survive long incubation periods under anaerobic conditions, and should be possible to isolate under anaerobic conditions. Our aim was to isolate H. pylori in anaerobic conditions, from gastric biopsies of H. pylori infected patients. Methods We enrolled 27 patients with bleeding (erosive) gastritis (mean age 36.3 years, 55.6% male) from Hanoi, Vietnam. H. pylori status was confirmed by qPCR. Results H. pylori were recovered under anaerobic and micro-aerobic conditions from gastric biopsies in 16 patients. Anaerobic conditions yielded significantly higher H. pylori recovery rates than micro-aerobic conditions (81.3% vs. 31.3%, P = 0.01). H. pylori isolates were characterized by PCR for specific virulence markers and the genotypes were similar to those previously described in this region of the world. Conclusions H. pylori can be isolated under anaerobic conditions. These findings may provide new insight into the physiology of this human pathogen and help to identify the route of H. pylori transmission.