Low prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in young children in the Netherlands

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Abstract
To investigate the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in young children from the general population in The Netherlands. Determination of IgG antibodies against H. pylori, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique [cutoff 0.32 Absorption Index (AI)], in serum from 1258 children who were 2–4 years of age. The serum was obtained from a serum bank of 6127 children who attended the community child healthcare centers in the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland. In general, we found a seroprevalence of 1.2% of H. pylori infection, with a significant difference between the children with parents who were both Dutch (0.5%), and the children with at least one non-Dutch parent (2.6%) (P<0.001). The prevalence of H. pylori infection in young infants in the general population in The Netherlands is low. Children with at least one non-Dutch parent form a risk group, however, for H. pylori infection in The Netherlands.