OBSERVATION OF INTRAGASTRIC NON-HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION BY ENDOSCOPY: USING THE KYOTO CLASSIFICATION OF GASTRITIS

Abstract

The stomach, which is a highly acidic environment, comprises many indigenous bacteria besides Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and oral bacteria (non-H. pylori), forming an intragastric indigenous bacterial flora. In this study, 183 gastric fluid cultures were positive for non-H. pylori in 120 (65.7%) of the cases, and approximately 70% of the cases were on proton pump inhibitor. For the Kyoto classification of gastritis associated with non-H. pylori culture results, univariate analysis showed that culture positivity was significantly associated with atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, mucosal swelling, sticky mucus, hyperplastic polyps, and gastric cobblestone-like lesions, whereas culture negativity was significantly associated with regular arrangement of collecting venules and hematin. In multivariate analysis, only hematin showed a significant association. Changes in gastric microflora due to non-H. pylori should be observed using endoscopy.