Description
H. pylori is a small, spiral-shaped bacterium that lives in the surface of the stomach and duodenum. It is implicated in the etiology of a variety of gast rointestinal diseases, including duodenal and gastric ulcer, non-ulcer dyspepsia and active and chronic gastritis.
Both invasive and non-invasive methods are used to diagnose H. pylori infection in patients with symptoms of gastrointestinal disease. Specimen-dependent and costly invasive diagnostic methods include gastric or duodenal biopsy followed by urease testing (presumptive), culture, and/or histologic staining. A very common approach to the diagnosis of H. pylori infection is the serological identification of specific antibodies in infected patients. The main limitation of serology test is the inability to distinguish current and past infections.
Antibody may be present in the patient’s serum long after eradication of the organisms. HpSA (H. pylori Stool Antigen) testing is gaining popularity for diagnosis of H. pylori infection and also for monitoring the efficacy of the treatment of H. pylori infection. Studies have found that more than 90% of patients with duodenal ulcer and 80% of patients with gastric ulcer are infected with H. pylori.
