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Background and aims: 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 carcin oma (HCC). A retrospective cross sectional study was performed in order to explo re the association between Helicobacter species and HCV associated liver disease s. Methods: The presence of Helicobacter species was tested by polymerase chain reaction on liver samples from four groups of patients. Resutls: Helicobacter 16 S 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 hepatit is 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 l iver samples from patients with HCV positive cirrhosis and HCC (n = 31). In addi tion, when the HCC tumour tissue was tested (n = 21), 90.5% of samples were po sitive. DNA from Helicobacter pylori- and Helicobacter pullorum- like organis ms was found. Conclusions: There is an association between the presence of Helic obacter 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 change s in the liver. Alternatively, Helicobacter species could be a co- risk factor in HCV chronic liver diseases. This result warrants prospective studies to deter mine the possible causal role of these bacteria in the progression of chronic he patitis C.
Background and aims: 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 explo re the association between Helicobacter species and HCV associated liver disease s. Methods: The presence of Helicobacter species was tested by polymerase chain reaction on liver samples from four groups of patients. Resutls: Helicobacter 16 S 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 hepatit is 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 lver samples from patients with HCV positive cirrhosis and HCC (n = 31). In addi tion, when the HCC tumor tissue was tested (n = 21), 90.5% of samples were po sitive. DNA from Helicobacter pylori- and Helicobacter pullorum-like organis ms was found. Conclusions: There is an association between the presence of Helic obacter species DNA in the liver and hepatitis C cirrhosis 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 deter mine the possible causal role of these bacteria in the progression of chronic he patitis C