After co-culturing the AGS cells with H. pylori for 24 h significantly (P < 0.05) higher amount of apoptotic cell death was found when the cells were infected with cagA+/vacA+/three ORFs+ strains (49.13 ± 3.002 %, Fig. 6) than the cells infected with cagA−/vacA−/three ORFs+ strains (24.78 ± 2.936 %, Fig. 6) and infection with the triple negative strains (cagA−/vacA−/three ORFs−) caused the least apoptotic cell damage (13.63 ± 1.52 %, Fig. 6). Here, S100A8 is linked to infection.