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Seroprevalence study of IgG anti CagA& IgA anti H.Pylori and their relationship to blood groups in Erbil city

Khoshawi Mousa Khaleel
Department Nursing, College of Nursing, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Kani Rast Shawais
Department Nursing, College of Nursing, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Saeed Ghulam Hussain
Department Nursing, College of Nursing, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Keywords:
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Copyright (c) 2026 Khoshawi Mousa Khaleel, Kani Rast Shawais, Saeed Ghulam Hussain (Author)

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Abstract

Background and objective: Helicobacter pylori is a worldwide bacterial pathogen that associated with increasing risk of gastritis peptic ulcer and gastric adenocarcinoma. Especially strains harbor cytotoxin associated gene A (CagA) which classified by WHO in the category of class 1 carcinogen. The study designed to assess seroprevalence of anti-Cag A IgG & anti-H.pylori IgA antibodies among asymptomatic GIT free manifestations among adult & children in Erbil /Kurdistan region. Linkage between seropositive H.pylori infection & ABO blood group, age, gender & smoking, were also verified.

Methods: A total to 369 blood samples were collected from adult & child participant free of Gastrointestinal diseases. The sera were screened for anti- CagA IgG & anti -H pylori IgA antibody using ELISA assay. Further, the samples were subjected to ABO blood grouping using hemagglutination test. The result was statistically analyzed using chi-square test.

Results: Seroprevalence of IgG anti-cagA positivity was 41.5% among adult which was significantly (P <0.001) higher than the frequency among children (22.1%). For IgG anti-H pylori, the prevalence was significantly (P <0.001) higher among adults than children (44.9% vs 14.4% respectively). The seroprevalence of mixedpositive IgG & IgA anti- H pylori antibodies was 28.7% among adults and 13.5% among children (P = 0.002). The rate of IgG & IgA seropositivity was higher among adult & children with Blood-group (O) although no significant association was detected.

Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggest that anti-CagA IgG & Ig A seropositivity may correlate with infection by CagA-positive H. pylori strains, based on serological data alone. Therefore, this marker can be considered a useful non-invasive screening tool when molecular characterization of the CagA gene is unavailable, though direct genotyping the gold standard. Blood group type O was predominant among participant seropositive for anti- CagA IgG antibodies. The alarming finding in this study was the very high titers of anti-CagA IgG (>150) among the screened participant, which might be a risk factor for increased risk of gastric cancer.

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How to Cite
Mousa Khaleel, K. ., Rast Shawais, K. ., & Ghulam Hussain, S. . (2026). Seroprevalence study of IgG anti CagA& IgA anti H.Pylori and their relationship to blood groups in Erbil city. Zanco Journal of Medical Sciences (ZJMS), 30(2), 587–600. https://doi.org/10.15218/zjms.2026.040

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