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Association between Helicobacter pylori and intestinal parasites in an Añu indigenous community of Venezuela

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Abstract

Background

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and enteroparasite infections are highly prevalent in populations with poor living conditions, like the Amerindian communities. Identifying associations between both types of infectious agents could help to detect shared risk factors or transmission routes in these minority ethnic groups. Therefore, the prevalence and association between Hp and enteroparasites were investigated in an indigenous community whose living conditions favor such infectious diseases.

Methods

Seropositivity (anti-Hp-specific IgG) and active infection (stool antigen test), intestinal parasitosis (direct and concentrated coproparasitological test, methylene blue, and Kinyoun stains), and risk factors for fecal-oral transmission were determined in 167 children and 151 adults of the Añu indigenous community living at the Sinamaica Lagoon, in Venezuela.

Results

A high rate of Hp infection (seropositivity and active infection) and enteroparasitosis was evidenced, as expected. Some significant associations were detected: direct associations between Hp and polyparasitic infection, helminths, and protozoan (particularly in children); inverse association between Hp and Giardia lamblia. No shared epidemiological factors were identified for Hp and the detected intestinal parasites, probably due to overlapping factors.

Conclusion

Direct associations detected support the participation of the fecal-oral route in the transmission of the involved infectious agents. Inverse relationship (Hp) and G. lamblia may suggest the existence of antagonistic interactions between them. Further research is required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these associations.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Professor Alí Fernández from the Culture Division of the Universidad del Zulia for the logistic support and information provided regarding the Añu population.

Source of funding

This work was funded by the Scientific and Humanistic Development Council of the Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela (Subvention No. CC-0660-10).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Microbiología. Escuela de Bioanálisis, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela

    Alisbeth D. Fuenmayor-Boscán, Kutchynskaya J. Valero, América M. Paz, Lisette B. Sandrea & Zulbey Rivero

  2. Facultad de Medicina Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela

    Ileana M. Hernández

Authors
  1. Alisbeth D. Fuenmayor-Boscán
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  2. Ileana M. Hernández
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  3. Kutchynskaya J. Valero
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  5. Lisette B. Sandrea
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alisbeth D. Fuenmayor-Boscán.

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Conflict of interest

ADFF-B, IMH, KJV, AMP, LBS, and ZR have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethics statement

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Universidad del Zulia, the Code of Ethics for the Life of Venezuela, and ethical principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975, as revised in 2000 and 2008 concerning Human Rights. And the authors followed the policy concerning Informed Consent as shown on Springer.com.

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Fuenmayor-Boscán, A.D., Hernández, I.M., Valero, K.J. et al. Association between Helicobacter pylori and intestinal parasites in an Añu indigenous community of Venezuela. Indian J Gastroenterol 35, 106–112 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12664-016-0641-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12664-016-0641-4

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