Paige Sogandares

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped bacteria that colonizes the gastric epithelium. While over 50% of the world population is thought to have H pylori colonies, most are asymptomatic and never suffer complications due to infection. Active H pylori infections are characterized by abdominal pain, nausea, bloating, and ulcers, and patients suffering from long-term infection may present with chronic gastritis, ulcerative colitis, or gastric ulcer disease. H pylori is a class-1 carcinogen and is known to be associated with MALT lymphoma, gastric adenocarcinoma, and other gastric cancers. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct a meta-analysis to identify variables that are sources of heterogeneity, or the variation beyond chance within the studies used, in antibiotic resistance of H pylori within developing countries and to find comorbidities and comparisons alongside other epidemiological factors. The research is focused on the effects of antimicrobial resistance on the duration and magnitude of H pylori infection, on the association between resistance and development of gastric cancer. The meta-analysis also seeks to identify variations in antibiotic resistance between developing countries in an effort to better understand the specific needs that separate resistance in developing countries from resistance in developed countries. A high degree of clinical heterogeneity was found, suggesting that that region and level of development were not significantly valuable predictors of antibiotic resistance. The meta-regression tested urban population density, which was shown to have some effect, but there was not enough consistent data found to indicate an overall significant effect.

Figure 1. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that infects our stomach and can cause peptic ulcers or gastric cancer. H. pylori is though to be present, often dormant, in more than half the people in the world.