Prevalence and genotypes of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsy specimens from patients with gastroduodenal pathologies in the Cukurova Region of Turkey.

The effects of Helicobacter pylori genotypes on clinical prognosis in the Cukurova region of Turkey were investigated by PCR. The prevalence of type I strains carrying the s1c allele, unlike in neighboring regions and countries, was found to be significantly higher in patients with gastritis and/or gastric ulcers (P = 0.001), and that of type I strains carrying the s1a allele was found to be significantly higher in patients with duodenal ulcers (P < 0.001). The cagA gene was strongly associated with the more virulent vacA genotypes (P < 0.001).