Helicobacter pylori has been detected in drinking water in Peru and Sweden,
suggesting the possibility of water-borne transmission. To date there have
been few reports of H, pylori being detected in water; one was of the ureA
gene of H, pylori in wells and springs in rural Japan. We examined water s
ampled in or near urban areas of Japan for H, pylori DNA by three assays us
ing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Near Tokyo, samples were obtained:
10 of tap water, 6 of well water 10 of river water, and 10 of sea water. S
amples were filtered with membranes with 0.05- or 0.22-mum pores, which bac
terial cells are caught by, Bacterial nucleic acids were extracted and puri
fied and the PCR was done to amplify adhesin specific for H, pylori and the
ureA gene, if present. Real-time PCR that measured the yield in terms of f
luorescence was done with primers for 165 rRNA, None of the samples of tap,
river, or sea water contained adhesin, ureA or 16S rRNA, None of the 6 sam
ples of well water contained adhesin or ureA, but 2 of the 6 samples contai
ned 16S rRNA, Some of the users of the well had had H, pylori infection in
the past. H, pylori DNA was detected in well water and the users had been i
nfected, so water-borne transmission via well water may occur even in towns
in Japan.