The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among students of a medical college in Bangladesh

Background and objectives: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection differs in relation to the human population, age, living conditions, lifestyle, socioeconomic status and geographic location. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of H.pylori infection among students of Ibrahim Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the K.A. Monsur Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Ibrahim Medical College. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic information and clinical history. Blood and stool samples were collected from each participant. Serum H. pylori CagA IgG and H.pylori IgA antibodies were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and H. pylori stool antigen (HPSAg) was detected by immunochromatographic test (ICT). Results: A total of 85 participants were enrolled in this study. The overall H. pylori infection rate was 69.4% by positive stool antigen test and /or the presence of H. pylori specific CagA IgG or IgA antibodies in serum. H. pylori stool antigen was detected in 9 (10.6%) individuals, of whom 8 (88.9%) were also positive for H. pylori specific CagA IgG and / or IgA antibodies. Among 85 participants, CagA IgG and IgA were positive in 43 (50.6%) and 46 (54.1%) students, respectively, while 31 (36.5%) were positive for both antibodies. IgA positivity rate was significantly higher (p≤0.005) in individuals who tested positive for CagA-IgG compared to those negative for CagA-IgG antibody. Gastrointestinal symptoms were reported by 17 (20.0%) participants, while 68 (80.0%) were asymptomatic. No significant difference in antibody positivity rates was observed between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in this study. Conclusion: The study revealed that H. pylori infection is common among the medical students in Bangladesh. This underscores the importance of improving awareness and early detection strategies among medical students to minimize transmission and associated health risks. July 2025; Vol. 19(2):009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.19.019 *Correspondence: Shahida Akter, Department of Microbiology. Ibrahim Medical College, 1/A Ibrahim Sarani, Shegunbagicha, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh. Email: [email protected] © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(CC BY 4.0).