Editor,—We read with considerable interest the excellent article on Helicobacter pyloricolonisation with MUC5AC in the human stomach by Van den Brinket al ((2000) Gut 46:601–7; OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text). The authors used antibodies against gastric mucin core proteins (anti-MUC6 and MUC5AC (45M1)) in conjunction with antibody against H pyloriand demonstrated attachment of H pylori to gastric surface mucous cells and the presence of H pylori in extracellular mucins derived from gastric surface mucous cells.

These finding are similar to those previously reported by us1 using histochemical staining specific for gastric mucins (dual staining consisting of galactose-oxidase cold thionine Schiff reaction (GOTS) and paradoxical concanavalin A staining (PCS))2, and immunostaining for H pylori. GOTS recognises galactose orN-acetyl galactosamine residues of gastric surface mucous cell mucins and stains gastric surface mucous cell mucins blue (fig 1A). Histochemical reactivity of GOTS is identical to that of immunostaining with anti-MUC5AC (45M1) (fig 1B). PCS recognises the specific sugar residues with peripheralN-acetyl glucosamine in gastric gland mucous cells (cardiac gland cells, mucous neck cells, and pyloric gland cells) and stains gastric gland mucous cell mucins brown (fig 1A). We used tissue sections from surgically resected stomachs fixed in Carnoy's solution which has the advantage of fixing the gastric surface mucous gel layer (SMGL) in paraffin embedded tissue sections.3