Characterization of clarithromycin resistance in Malaysian isolates of Helicobacter pylori

AIM: To characterize the types of mutations present in the 23S rRNA genes of Malaysian isolates of clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori (H pylori).METHODS: Clarithromycin susceptibility of H pylori isolates was determined by E test. Analyses for point mutations in the domain V of 23S rRNA genes in clarithromycin-resistant and -sensitive strains were performed by sequence analysis of amplified polymerase chain reaction products. Restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed using BsaI and MboII enzymes to detect restriction sites that correspond to the mutations in the clarithromycin-resistant strains.RESULTS: Of 187 isolates from 120 patients, four were resistant to clarithromycin, while 183 were sensitive. The MIC of the resistant strains ranged from 1.5 to 24 μg/mL. Two isolates had an A2142G mutation and another two had A2143G mutations. A T2182C mutation was detected in two out of four clarithromycin-resistant isolates and in 13 of 14 clarithromycin-sensitive isolates. Restriction enzyme analyses with BsaI and MboII were able to detect the mutations.CONCLUSION: Clarithromycin resistance is an uncommon occurrence among Malaysian isolates of H pylori strains and the mutations A2142G and A2143G detected were associated with low-level resistance.