alleles (type I and II) in gastric cancer.

The () outer membrane protein (HopQ) of is one of the proteins involved in bacterial adherence to gastric mucosa and has been suggested to have a role in the virulence of . The aim of the present study was to determine the association between virulence types I and II genotypes and patients with different gastrointestinal diseases. A polymerase chain reaction-based assay was used to determine the presence of type I and type II genes in 88 strains isolated from -infected patients. Of the total 88 isolates, type I and type II alleles were detected in 52 (59.1%) and 36 (40.9%), respectively. A significant association was found between type I gene and gastric cancer [odds ratio, 2.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3-4.1] and gastric ulcers (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.4-4.3). A significant association was also identified between the type II gene and gastric cancer (odds ratio, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.1-3.0). The association between type I and type II genotypes and clinical status suggest that these genes may be helpful in the universal prediction of specific disease risks.