Association of Helicobacter species with hepatitis C cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aims: Recent studies have suggested that bacterial coinfection with Helicobacter species in patients already infected with hepatitis C virus ( HCV) could be involved in the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcin oma (HCC). A retrospective cross sectional study was performed in order to explo re the association between Helicobacter species and HCV associated liver disease s. Methods: The presence of Helicobacter species was tested by polymerase chain reaction on liver samples from four groups of patients. Resutls: Helicobacter 16 S rDNA was found in only 4.2% of liver samples from control patients (n = 24) and in 3.5% of liver samples from patients with non- cirrhotic chronic hepatit is C (n = 29) while it was found in 68.0% of liver samples from patients with HCV positive cirrhosis without HCC (n = 25) as well as in 61.3% of cirrhotic l iver samples from patients with HCV positive cirrhosis and HCC (n = 31). In addi tion, when the HCC tumour tissue was tested (n = 21), 90.5% of samples were po sitive. DNA from Helicobacter pylori- and Helicobacter pullorum- like organis ms was found. Conclusions: There is an association between the presence of Helic obacter species DNA in the liver and hepatitis C cirrhosis, with or without HCC. Indeed, the presence of these bacteria could be the result of structural change s in the liver. Alternatively, Helicobacter species could be a co- risk factor in HCV chronic liver diseases. This result warrants prospective studies to deter mine the possible causal role of these bacteria in the progression of chronic he patitis C.