Helicobacter pylori infection in Kenya. Helicobacter pylori strain:KE21

Helicobacter pylori infection (Hp) is characterized by an exceptionally high genetic diversity and geographic variability that drive clinical outcomes in different regions. Although the global well-acknowledged causative role of Hp in severe gastrointestinal diseases including peptic ulcers and gastric cancer, the clinical relevance of African strains is still debated. Discrepancies between a very high prevalence of Hp infection and a very low incidence of gastric cancer in Africa, have raised the so-called 'African enigma' of Hp. However, relatively few studies have ever analyzed the potentials of African Hp strains for inducing diseases. This study aims at analyzing genomic features and biological potentials for virulence of a typical African Hp strain isolated from a native African patient with gastric cancer.