Antibiotic Resistance in <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Isolates from Northwestern and Central Romania Detected by Culture-Based and PCR-Based Methods
Carmen Costache,
Horațiu Alexandru Colosi,
Simona Grad,
Anamaria Ioana Paștiu,
Mariela Militaru,
Anca Paula Hădărean,
Dan Alexandru Țoc,
Vlad Sever Neculicioiu,
Alina Mihaela Baciu,
Razvan Vlad Opris,
Dan Lucian Dumitrașcu,
Ioana Alina Colosi
Affiliations
Carmen Costache
Department of Molecular Sciences, Division of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Horațiu Alexandru Colosi
Department of Medical Education, Division of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Simona Grad
Cluj County Emergency Hospital, 400000 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Anamaria Ioana Paștiu
Department of Genetics and Hereditary Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Mariela Militaru
Department of Molecular Sciences, Division of Medical Genetics, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Anca Paula Hădărean
Regina Maria Regional Laboratory, Medical Genetics Division, Regina Maria Private Health Network, Unirea Medical Center, 400363 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Dan Alexandru Țoc
Department of Molecular Sciences, Division of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Vlad Sever Neculicioiu
Department of Molecular Sciences, Division of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alina Mihaela Baciu
Department of Molecular Sciences, Division of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Razvan Vlad Opris
Department of Molecular Sciences, Division of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Dan Lucian Dumitrașcu
Cluj County Emergency Hospital, 400000 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ioana Alina Colosi
Department of Molecular Sciences, Division of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Little evidence has been published regarding the antimicrobial resistance patterns of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) strains in Northwestern and Central Romania. The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of H. pylori isolates from gastric biopsies collected from patients living in Romania using ETEST® and GenoType HelicoDR. Gastric biopsies were obtained from 148 adult patients, 87 women and 61 men, the majority (131 patients) from Northwestern and Central Romania. Sixty-nine H. pylori strains were detected by both culture and PCR; sixty-three biopsies were negative by both techniques; one biopsy was positive by culture but negative by PCR; and fifteen biopsies were negative by culture but positive by PCR. Primary resistance against clarithromycin, fluoroquinolones, and metronidazole was found in 16.7%, 11.1%, and 13.3% of strains, respectively. No primary resistance has been detected against amoxicillin, tetracycline, and rifampicin. Secondary resistance against clarithromycin, fluoroquinolones, metronidazole, amoxicillin, tetracycline, and rifampicin was found in 75.8%, 30.3%, 65.5%, 1.8%, 1.8%, and 7.3% of the strains, respectively. The most frequent clarithromycin-resistant genotype detected by GenoType HelicoDR was A2147G (62.3%). Concordances between ETEST® and PCR for clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones were 85.5% and 78.3%, respectively. Further investigation of H. pylori resistance should be conducted to ensure proper eradication schemes.
