HEPATITIS-A AND EVIDENCE AGAINST THE COMMUNITY DISSEMINATION OF HELICOBACTER-PYLORI VIA FECES

Seroprevalence data from 1501 subjects was used to test the hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori may be transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Antibody to hepatitis A virus was used as a marker of fecal-oral exposure. Of the 1501 subjects, 35.5% were seropositive for both H. pylori and hepatitis A, 19.1% were seronegative for both, 36.5% were seropositive for hepatitis A only, and 8.8% were seropositive for H. pylori only. Cross-sectional data from rural areas supported an association between hepatitis A and H. pylori. However, in the urban area there was no evidence of hepatitis A infection in persons <10 years old, yet the seroprevalence of H. pylori was high in this group (similar to 32%). From our data, we suggest that communitywide fecal-oral spread of H. pylori may be of limited importance.