Genotyping Pattern of the Vacuolating Cytotoxin A and Cytotoxin Associated Gene A of the Helicobacter pylori Strains Detected in Fecal Samples of Household Dogs

In despite of the high clinical impact of Helicobacter pylori, its exact sources and routes of transmission are unknown. Dogs may play an imperative role in the transmission of H. pylori to humans. The current investigation was done to study the status of vacA and cagA genotypes in the H. pylori strains of dogs. One-hundred and fifty fecal samples were collected from healthy and complicated household dogs. Genomic DNA was extracted from fecal samples and presence of 16S rRNA gene was studied using the PCR amplification. Distribution of vacA and cagA genotypes were studied by the multiplex PCR. Thirteen out of 150 fecal samples (8.66%) were positive for H. pylori 16S rRNA gene. Prevalence of H. pylori in healthy and complicated dogs were 5.55% and 8.57%, respectively. Male had the higher prevalence of H. pylori (P=0.038). The most commonly detected genotypes among the H. pylori strains were vacAs1A (61.53%), cagA (38.46%), vacAm1a (38.46%), vacAs2 (30.76%) and vacAm2 (30.76%). The most commonly detected combined genotypes were s1aCagA (30.76%), s1am1a (23.07%), s2m1a (23.07%) and s2CagA (23.07%). Iranian household dogs harbor H. pylori in their fecal samples similar in genotypes of the vacA and cagA alleles which suggest that complicated and even healthy dogs may be the latent host of the H. pylori and its genotypes. However, supplementary studies are required to found the exact role of dogs as a definitive host of the H. pylori.