RESUMO
Resistance of Helicobacter pylori to clarithromycin is characterised by simple point mutations in the 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and is responsible for the majority of cases of failure to eradicate this bacterium. In this paper, we characterised the variability of the 23S rRNA gene in biopsies of patients with gastric pathologies in the eastern Amazon (Northern Region of Brazil) using PCR and sequencing. A total of 49 sequences of H. pylori strains were analysed and of those, 75.6 percent presented nucleotide substitutions: A2142G (3.3 percent), T2182C (12.9 percent), G2224A (6.45 percent), T2215C (61.3 percent), A2192G (3.3 percent), G2204C (6.4 percent) and T2221C (6.4 percent). Of the mutations identified, four are known mutations related to cases of resistance and 16.1 percent are not yet described, revealing a high prevalence of mutations in the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene among the strains circulating in the in the eastern Amazon. The high prevalence in individuals with gastric pathologies in the Northern Region of Brazil demonstrates the need for characterising the profile of these strains to provide correct therapy for patients, considering that mutations in this gene are normally associated with resistance to the primary medication used in controlling H. pylori infection.