Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection

There are still attempts to improve the accurary of diagnostic tests for H. pylori. For example, a new strip test which produces results more rapidly has been favourably compared with the other tests. A revised Version of the Sydney System, which revolutionized the classification of gastritis, has been published. New polymerase chain reaction protocols have been proposed, including quantitative polymerase chain reaction. It has also been claimed that detection of H. pylori in faeces using this method is possible. Molecular methods have been applied for strains typing and detection of macrolide resistance. Among non-invasive methods, several studies have been conducted to compare new doctor tests with more conventional methods and to use saliva as the source of antibodies. The general outcome of these studies is a loss of accuracy. The possibility of detecting the CagA marker and using it to correlate with disease outcome has also been used. The C-13-urea breath test has been simplified in terms of the test meal, and shortening the length of time required. The cost has been reduced by decreasing the dose of urea used.