Background: Helicobacter pylorus has been identified as a major cause of peptic ulcer disease, risk factor for gastric cancer and mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. There is an emerging increase in antimicrobial resistance and subsequently failing empiric H. pylori eradication therapies which increases need to asses antibiotic susceptibility for H. pylori in every country, this will be done after its culture. Culturing of H. pylori is affected by multiple factors.
Aim of the work: To Identify factors affecting H. pylori culture.
Patients and Methods: A group of 134 adult patients with upper gastrointestinal complaints were recruited excluding patients who received PPI in last 2 weeks and Antibiotic in last 4 weeks.
Upper GIT endoscopy was done, biopsies were collected; histopathological examination and culture of H. pylori were done, we studied the relation between culture result, patients and bacterial factors.
Results: Out of 134 studied biopsies, 20 had H. pylori culture positive (14.9%), the bacillary form of H. pylori was more cultivable (9/24, 37.5%) (P = 0.008). Positive culture results were associated with moderate infestation by H. pylori (14/20, 70%). Diabetes mellitus was associated with positive culture result (5/20, 25%) with (P = 0.04). Only one case of culture positive H. pylori had previous history of H. pylori treatment (1/20, 5%).
Conclusion: H. pylori culture is affected by multiple factors besides technical factors include form of H. pylori organism and degree of infestation of tissue by H. pylori, other factors like DM and previous H. pylori treatment of the patient.