Helicobacter Pylori Status in Explant Livers of Liver Transplant Recipients in a European Patient Cohort

Background and study aims    Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are known to be associated with several intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases such as peptic ulcers, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, gastric cancer and/or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Recently, H. pylori genomic DNA has been detected in liver tissue of patients with chronic liver diseases. Furthermore, some studies suggested that detection of H. pylori is associated with progressive liver disease. However, the influence of this organism on the progression of chronic liver diseases remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of H. pylori in patients undergoing Liver Transplantation (LT) owing to end-stage liver disease. Patients and methods: This retrospective study enrolled 50 explant liver tissue from consecutive patients undergoing LT at the University Hospital of Muenster between January 2011 and December 2012. H. pylori DNA was detected in specimens by PCR. Results :We successfully extracted DNA from every liver tissue sample; however, H.pylori were not detectable in any liver specimen tested. Conclusion: In our patient cohort, H. pylori were not detectable in explant liver. Based on these results, H. pylori do not appear to have a significant impact on the progression of liver disease in our patient cohort.