Presence of human mycoplasma DNA in gastric tissue samples from Korean chronic gastritis patients

• Published in: Cancer science 2004-04, Vol.95 (4), p.311-315
• Main Authors: Kwon, Hyuk‐Joon, Kang, Jeong‐Ok, Cho, Sun‐Hee, Kang, Hee‐Bum, Kang, Kyung‐Ah, Kim, Jeong‐Ki, Kang, Yoon‐Suk, Song, Byung‐Cheol, Kang, Hyun‐Wook, Shim, Mi‐Ja, Kim, Hee‐Sun, Kim, Young‐Bae, Hahm, Ki‐Baeg, Kim, Bum‐Joon, Kook, Myeong‐Cherl, Chung, Myung‐Hee, Hyun, Jin‐Won
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonia; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic Disease; Contaminants; Cytokines; DNA, Bacterial - isolation & purification; Gastric cancer; Gastritis; Gastritis - metabolism; Gastritis - microbiology; Gastroscopy; Health risk assessment; Humans; Inflammation; Korea - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Metastases; Molecular Sequence Data; Mouth - microbiology; Mycoplasma; Mycoplasma - genetics; Mycoplasma - isolation & purification; Mycoplasma - pathogenicity; Mycoplasma fermentans - genetics; Mycoplasma fermentans - isolation & purification; Mycoplasma fermentans - pathogenicity; Mycoplasma Infections - epidemiology; Mycoplasma Infections - genetics; Mycoplasma Infections - microbiology; Mycoplasma salivarium - genetics; Mycoplasma salivarium - isolation & purification; Mycoplasma salivarium - pathogenicity; Oral cavity; Organ Specificity; Pyloric Antrum - microbiology; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Stomach - microbiology; Stomach Neoplasms - etiology; Tumorigenesis; Tumors
• ISSN: 1347-9032; 1349-7006
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2004.tb03208.x

We aimed to determine whether mycoplasmas are present in Korean chronic gastritis, and to understand their roles in gastric cancer tumorigenesis, because mycoplasmas resemble Helicobacter pylori in terms of ammonia production and induction of inflammatory cytokines in immune and non‐immune cells. The presence and identity of mycoplasmas were assessed by semi‐nested PCR and sequencing, and the results were compared with pathologic data. Fifty‐six samples collected from Korean chronic gastritis patients were used for this study. Twenty‐three (41.1%) were positive for mycoplasmas. Eighteen sequenced samples contained a single human mycoplasma or two mycoplasmas, which were identified as Mycoplasma faucium (13/18), M. fermentans (3/18), M. orale (1/18), M. salivarium (2/18), and M. spermatophilum (1/18). Mycoplasma‐infected chronic gastritis samples showed significantly more severe neutrophil infiltration than non‐infected samples (P=0.0135). Mycoplasma profiles in the oral cavity (M. salivarium is major) and stomach were different, and the presence of significant proinflammatory responses in mycoplasmapositive patients suggests that the mycoplasmas are not simply contaminants. Further studies are required to understand whether mycoplasmas play a role in gastric tumorigenesis.