Campylobacter pylori infection in gastric and duodenal ulcer.

The incidence of infection with Campylobacter pylori (CP) in gastric ulcer (GU) and duodenal ulcer (DU) and its correlation with the gastritis lesions associated to the two diseases, was investigated. In GU the incidence of CP infection was 76.3%, close to that in DU (71.4), but different from controls (33.3%). Chronic gastritis associated to gastric or duodenal ulcer is of variable severity, CP infection being the more often encountered the higher the severity of gastritis. Presence of CP was also observed in 75% of the cases associated also with intestinal metaplasia from UG. The diameter of CP-positive GU was significantly increased as compared with that in CP-negative GU. Type I GU was associated with CP infection in 81.8% of the cases. The results obtained allowed the conclusion that in GU and DU the incidence of CP infection is significantly higher as compared with that in controls but the pathogenetic relationship ulcer-bacterium is not yet elucidated.