Prevalence and co-detection of Helicobacter pylori, Epstein–Barr virus, and human papillomavirus in gastric tissues: a cross-sectional study from Yazd, Iran (2019–2022)

Authors

  • Zahra Rouhipanah Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
  • Seyed Sajjad Alavi Kakhki Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
  • Mehdi Fatahi-Bafghi Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
  • Javad Charostad Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
  • Akram Astani Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v18i5.22867

Keywords:

Helicobacter pylori; Papillomavirus infections; Epstein-Barr virus infections; Coinfection

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Gastric cancer remains a leading cause of cancer mortality and exhibits significant geographic variation. Although Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a well-established carcinogen, the contributions of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), individually or in conjunction with H. pylori, are not fully understood. This study assessed the prevalence and co-detection of these pathogens in gastric tissues from Yazd, Iran.

Materials and Methods: An archive-based cross-sectional study was conducted using 130 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embed- ded (FFPE) gastric specimens collected between 2019 and 2022, comprising 83 gastric adenocarcinomas and 47 non-malig- nant tissues. H. pylori was detected by conventional PCR targeting 16S rRNA, while EBV and HPV were identified by nested PCR targeting EBNA-1 and L1, respectively. PCR products were confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis, and selected amplicons were verified by Sanger sequencing.

Results: H. pylori was detected in 74 of 130 specimens (56.9%), with a prevalence of 62.7% in malignant tissues and 46.8% in non-malignant tissues (p=0.080). EBV was identified in three malignant cases (3.6%) and HPV in one malignant case (1.2%), with no positive findings in non-malignant samples (p=0.187 and p=0.450, respectively). Three co-detections were observed in malignant tissues, including two cases of H. pylori with EBV and one case of H. pylori with HPV. Due to the limited number of EBV- and HPV-positive cases, association analyses lacked statistical power.

Conclusion: H. pylori was the predominant microorganism detected, while EBV and HPV were rare and co-detections were infrequent. Larger prospective studies employing complementary molecular techniques and H. pylori virulence profiling are required to elucidate the clinical significance of these infections in gastric carcinogenesis.

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Published

2026-10-04

Issue

Volume (18) issue (5)

Section

Articles