%0 Journal Article %A Fasciana, Teresa %A Calà, Cinzia %A Bonura, Celestino %A Di Carlo, Enza %A Matranga, Domenica %A Scarpulla, Giuseppe %A Manganaro, Michele %A Camilleri, Salvatore %A Giammanco, Anna %T Resistance to clarithromycin and genotypes in Helicobacter pylori strains isolated in Sicily %D 2015 %J Journal of Medical Microbiology, %V 64 %N 11 %P 1408-1414 %@ 1473-5644 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.000163 %I Microbiology Society, %X The resistance of Helicobacter pylori strains to clarithromycin is increasing in several developed countries and their association with a genetic pattern circulation has been variously explained as related to different geographical areas. In this study we have reported: the prevalence of the resistance of H. pylori, isolated in Sicily, to clarithromycin; the principal point of mutation associated with this resistance; and the more frequent association between resistance to clarithromycin and cagA, the EPIYA motif, and the vacA and oipA genes. Resistance to clarithromycin was detected in 25 % of cases, the main genetic mutation involved being A2143G. The cagA gene was present in 48 % of cases and the distribution of the EPIYA motif was: ABC in 35 cases; ABCC in 8 cases; ABCCC in 2 cases; ABC-ABCC in 2 cases; and ABC-ABCC-ABCCC in 1 case. Regarding the vacA allele, an s1i1m1 combination was detected in 35 % of cases, s1i1m2 in 12 %, s1i2m2 in 12 %, s2i2m2 in 40 %, and a double s1m1-m2 mosaic in 1 % of cases. The status of the oipA gene was ‘off’ in 45 % of cases and ‘on’ in 55 %. Resistance to clarithromycin was found to be high in Sicily, but no correlation was found among resistance to clarithromycin, the vacA gene and oipA status; a higher correlation was observed between resistant strains and cagA-negative strains. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.000163