Microbiological Diagnosis of Helicobacter Pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium associated with upper gastrointestinal tract diseases such as gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. It is acclaimed that more than 50% of population is infected with H. pylori. In developing countries, this ratio is higher than in developed countries. In this review, we aimed to provide a general view of the diagnostic methods for H. pylori infection. Different invasive and non-invasive methods can be used for detection of this bacterial infection. Histology, culture, rapid urease test, PCR requiring gastric biopsies performed during endoscopy can be used as invasive tests; serology, urea breath test, and stool antigen test can be performed as non-invasive methods for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Although several invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests are available for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection, the gold standard tests for this infection include demonstration of H. pylori in gastric biopsy specimens directly or by cultivation.