Detection of Helicobacter Pylori’s Virulence Gene (UreA) and its Influence on the Result of Rapid Urease Test (RUT)

Abstract

UreA is an important virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori that, along with UreB and UreC, produces urease. Urease enzyme helps the bacterium to colonize the human stomach through metabolizing urea in order to neutralize the gastric environment. The current study aimed to detect the prevalence of the H. pylori’s ureA virulence factor gene, and to investigate the influence of this gene on the result of the rapid urease test (RUT). Eighty stomach biopsy samples were isolated from participants who were suspected to be infected with H. pylori in Erbil city. Participants were 36 males and 44 females, aged between 18 and 67 years. The results showed that 42 (52.5%) of the participants were positive for H. pylori when tested by RUT, while 59 (73.8%) of the patients showed positive H. pylori infection when tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S rRNA gene. The results of the PCR test based on the ureA gene revealed that 42 (52.5%) of the samples were positive. The important finding of this research is the presence of 100% compatibility between positive samples of RUT and ureA genes. It can be concluded from this study that a person may be infected with H. pylori, but the RUT test fails to detect the infection if the bacteria lack the ureA gene, indicating a direct impact of this gene on the result of RUT, which is a defect of RUT.