Objective To explore the correlation between the helicobacter pylori（Hp） cytotoxin related gene cagA

vacuolotoxin gene vacA subtype

and gastric epithelial HLA-DR antigen expression and the TCM syndromes of chronic stomachache.Methods One hundred cases of chronic gastritis or peptic ulcer were diagnosed with TCM syndrome differentiation

the spleen and stomach damp heat syndrome（57 cases）

liver qi attacking the stomach syndrome（24 cases）

and the spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome（19 cases）.The mucosal specimens were collected from the gastric antral region of all patients for detecting vacA signal sequence s and middle sequence m subtype and cagA gene with a specific primer PCR and analyzing the gastric epithelial HLA-DR antigen expression with an immunohistochemical method.Results Of the 100 cases

the Hp infection rate was 81%

the detectable rate of cagA gene was 44.4%（36/81）

the detectable rate of s1a gene was 90.1%（73/81）

and the detectable rate of m2 gene was 85.2%（69/81）.In the HP infection degree and the distribution of vacA genotype and cagA gene subtype

there wasn’t statistical difference in the three TCM syndromes（P>0.05）.Compared with negative group

the s1a+ and m2+ improved the HLA-DR antigen expression（P<0.01）

while the cagA was not correlated with the HLA-DR antigen expression（P>0.05）.Conclusion The Hp epidemic strains are mainly of the s1a or m2 subtypes

which could improve the gastric epithelial HLA-DR antigen expression

but the vacA subtype and cagA gene are not correlated with the different TCM syndromes.