ABSTRACT
Background: Helicobacter pylori is the most significant pathogen associated with gastric diseases, including gastric cancer. Infected patients with strains that are CagA-positive generally have worse outcomes than those infected with CagA-negative strains. Patients infected with CagA-positive strains have a higher risk for developing gastric cancer. Aim: To determine the prevalence of CagA-positive H. pylori strains in fecal samples of patients from the Coquimbo Region of Chile, using a non-invasive, nested-qPCR method. Material and Methods: We evaluated 160 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms subjected to an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. DNA was extracted from fecal samples and tested for the presence of H. pylori using nested-qPCR for the ureC gene, and subsequently compared with the results of histology-Giemsa stain from the patients' endoscopic biopsies. When H. pylori was found, the presence of CagA-positive strains was determined via nested-qPCR. Results: The histology-Giemsa stain was positive for H. pylori infection in 123 patients (76.9%), while the analysis of fecal samples detected H. pylori in 129 patients (80.6%). The sensitivity and specificity of nested-qPCR to detect the bacterium was 96.7 and 73.0% respectively. Among patients with the infection, 25% had CagA-positive strains. Conclusions: In this sample of patients, there is a low prevalence of CagA-positive H. pylori strains.