Adherence of Helicobacter pylori to areas of type II intestinal metaplasia in Korean gastric mucosa

The aim of this study was to examine whether Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) attaches to areas of intestinal metaplasia in Korean patients. Gastric biopsy specimens with intestinal metaplasia from 8 gastric cancers, 24 gastric ulcers, 11 duodenal ulcers, and 57 chronic gastritis were examined. The specimens were stained with periodic acid-Schiff/alcian blue pH 2.5 and high-iron diamine/alcian blue pH 2.5 to identify the subtype of intestinal metaplasia, and then immunohistochemical stain was done with rabbit anti-H. pylori polyclonal antibody. In 17 patients, H. pylori attached to areas of type II intestinal metaplasia. All areas of intestinal metaplasia showing adherence contained sialomucin, and H. pylori was not detected in the areas of intestinal absorptive cells and sulfomucin-containing metaplastic cells.