Intracellular presence and genetic relationship of Helicobacter pylori within neonates' fecal yeasts and their mothers' vaginal yeasts

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori are transmissible from person to person and among family members. Mother‐to‐child transmission is the main intrafamilial route of H. pylori transmission. However, how it transmits from mother to child is still being determined. Vaginal yeast often transmits to neonates during delivery. Therefore, H. pylori hosted in yeast might follow the same transmission route. This study aimed to detect intracellular H. pylori in vaginal and fecal yeasts isolates and explore the role of yeast in H. pylori transmission. Yeast was isolated from the mothers' vaginal discharge and neonates' feces and identified by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. H. pylori 16S rRNA and antigen were detected in yeast isolates by polymerase chain reaction and direct immunofluorescence assay. Genetic relationships of Candida strains isolated from seven mothers and their corresponding neonates were determined by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting and ITS alignment. The Candida isolates from four mother–neonate pairs had identical RAPD patterns and highly homologous ITS sequences. The current study showed H. pylori could be sheltered within yeast colonizing the vagina, and fecal yeast from neonates is genetically related to the vaginal yeast from their mothers. Thus, vaginal yeast presents a potential reservoir of H. pylori and plays a vital role in the transmission from mother to neonate.

Helicobacter pylori infection in humans and phytotherapy, probiotics, and emerging therapeutic interventions: a review

“…The transmission of H. pylori can occur through person-to-person routes, especially within families where maternal-child transmission is prevalent ( Yang et al, 2023 ). Studies have shown that H. pylori infection can occur in clusters in families.…”

Ability of Helicobacter pylori to internalize into Candida

“…H. pylori -specific 16S rDNA, cagA gene fragments, and H. pylori -specific antigens were still detectable, and some H. pylori 16S rDNA-positive Candida strains exhibited urease activity. We previously published a paper titled “Intracellular presence and genetic relationship of Helicobacter pylori within neonates’ fecal yeasts and their mothers’ vaginal yeasts”[ 9 ].…”

“…To our knowledge, we agree with the proponents that IgY- H. pylori demonstrated precise and specific interactions with H. pylori antigens. Our current study utilized IgG- H. pylori to detect H. pylori antigens in vaginal Candida and fecal Candida isolated from mothers and their newborns, respectively[ 9 ], as well as in gastric Candida strains isolated from patients. Our results showed that H. pylori antigen in Candida subcultures could be detected using immunofluorescence microscopy.…”