The evaluation of diagnostic methods for the detection of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsy specimens

PCR is a rapid, sensitive and accurate method for the specific detection of Helicobacter pylori from gastric biopsy specimens. In our study, 104 gastric tissue specimens from symptomatic adult patients were examined by staining, culture, PCR and nested PCR methods for detection of H. pylori. According to our results, positivity was achieved in 24% (25/104) with Giemsa staining, 34% (36/104) with histopathology, 36% (38/104) with PCR and 41% (43/104) with nested PCR respectively, whereas H. pylori was isolated in only 33% (35/104) of the cultures on the biopsy specimens. Both the sensitivity and the positive predictive value of the nested PCR method were 100%, and both the specificity and negative predictive value were 98%. As a conclusion, our results suggest the nested PCR as a highly valuable method in the detection of H. pylori with a reasonably high sensitivity and specificity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.