Prevalence of antibody to Helicobacter pylori in children in northern Nigeria

Helicobacter pylori infection is common in northern Nigeria, but the age of acquisition is unknown. In a prospective study, immunoglobulin G antibodies to H. pylori were measured in 143 children under the age of 20 years. Ninety-one percent of 43 randomly chosen subjects over 10 years had antibodies to H. pylori. A further 100 children under 10 years presenting to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital were also tested. Sixty-nine percent had antibodies, including 58% of those aged under 1 year. H. pylori infection is acquired at an early age, and in this study was not associated with any other pathology. This study was carried out in an area where peptic ulceration and gastric cancer are uncommon. The early acquisition of H. pylori infection may be important in relation to its apparent lack of pathogenicity.