Association of Helicobacter species with hepatitis C cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract

Recent studies have suggested that bacterial coinfection with Helicobacter species in patients already infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) could be involved in the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A retrospective cross sectional study was performed in order to explore the association between Helicobacter species and HCV associated liver diseases. The presence of Helicobacter species was tested by polymerase chain reaction on liver samples from four groups of patients. Helicobacter 16S rDNA was found in only 4.2% of liver samples from control patients (n=24) and in 3.5% of liver samples from patients with non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis C (n=29) while it was found in 68.0% of liver samples from patients with HCV positive cirrhosis without HCC (n=25) as well as in 61.3% of cirrhotic liver samples from patients with HCV positive cirrhosis and HCC (n=31). In addition, when the HCC tumour tissue was tested (n=21), 90.5% of samples were positive. DNA from Helicobacter pylori- and Helicobacter pullorum-like organisms was found. There is an association between the presence of Helicobacter species DNA in the liver and hepatitis C cirrhosis, with or without HCC. Indeed, the presence of these bacteria could be the result of structural changes in the liver. Alternatively, Helicobacter species could be a co-risk factor in HCV chronic liver diseases. This result warrants prospective studies to determine the possible causal role of these bacteria in the progression of chronic hepatitis C.