Stool test for Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is currently recognized as one of the most commonly diagnosed infections affecting humans. The name of this pathogenic microbe literally translates as "a spiral-shaped bacterium residing in the pyloric (lower) segment of the stomach". The microorganism belongs to anaerobic gram-negative motile bacteria that settle among the folds of the gastric mucosa. Among the many ways to diagnose their presence in the digestive tract is the stool analysis for Helicobacter pylori. This research procedure is not complicated, so it is often prescribed for children, the elderly and seriously ill patients.

Reliability of fecal test results for Helicobacter pylori

Several types of tests are used to determine the presence of Helicobacter pylori, including stool or blood tests.

Stool analysis for Helicobacter pylori refers to qualitative tests, that is, it indicates the presence or absence of the bacterial agent in the digestive tract, without precise counting. Diagnosis is performed in laboratory and clinical conditions, using the polymerase chain reaction technique. The reliability of the results is considered quite high - about 95%. Given this, as well as the simplicity of execution, the study is often recommended for most patients with suspected gastritis, gastric ulcer, etc. [1]

Indications for the procedure of the a stool test for Helicobacter pylori.

Stool analysis for Helicobacter pylori can be prescribed to any patient who complains of pain syndrome and uncomfortable sensation in the epigastric zone. More precisely, the reason for the appointment of the study most often become:

• discomfort in the upper abdomen after eating;
• regular and unpleasant belching;
• occasional heartburn;
• difficulty swallowing food;
• increased gas formation, impaired digestion;
• regular bouts of nausea, vomiting;
• frequent alternating periods of diarrhea and constipation;
• loss of appetite, aversion to food, cachexia;
• blood in the feces or vomit.

The above signs do not always indicate the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the feces. However, the test is a way to help confirm or deny the presence of infection, which will fundamentally affect the treatment of the disease.

Preparation

How accurate will be the result of stool analysis for Helicobacter pylori, depends not only on the quality of laboratory diagnosis, but also on how clearly the patient will comply with the stages of preparation for diagnosis.

Here's how to properly take a fecal test for Helicobacter:

• You should stop taking any antimicrobial medications four weeks prior to the intended test;
• for three days should be eliminated from the diet of so-called "tinting" products, such as beets, dark grapes, black rowan, etc.;
• 3-4 days before the study you should stop taking laxatives, activated charcoal.

How do you collect feces for Helicobacter?

• The feces for analysis is separated into a special container, which can be found in a pharmacy or asked directly in the laboratory;
• For adequate diagnosis, it is sufficient if the container is 1/3 or 1/2 full;
• Do not take feces out of the toilet bowl, as there may be traces of cleaning agents and detergents in it.

How do I store feces for Helicobacter?

It is advisable to take the stool for analysis to the laboratory immediately after collection. If necessary, it can be stored for no more than 10-12 hours in a refrigerator, in a tightly sealed container, at a temperature range of +2 to +8°C. [2]

Technique of the a stool test for Helicobacter pylori.

Determining the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the digestive tract can be determined by several methods.

Qualitative analysis helps to find out whether there is such a bacterium in the body at all. The method of polymerase chain reaction - PCR of feces for Helicobacter - is performed in laboratory conditions. Specialists point to the high accuracy of diagnosis: more than 90%.

Calcium for Helicobacter antigen is analyzed by immunochromatography with monoclonal antibodies. Antigens of the bacterium in the patient's body provoke the development of an immune response: we are talking about the production of antibodies (they are also called immunoglobulins). This study is also qualitative: it can be prescribed, in particular, for people who have been in close contact with patients with gastrointestinal pathologies.

The doctor may prescribe several different tests at the same time when a patient comes in for treatment - for example, feces for Helicobacter, hemotest, examination of gastric contents and so on. This is necessary in order to clearly determine the diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment measures.

Fecal ELISA for Helicobacter is performed within one working day, but in urgent cases the result can be obtained in as little as two hours. The method is based on the principle of thin-layer chromatography and consists in the reaction "antigen-antibody" in the corresponding biomaterial. Diagnosis is performed using specific test strips, cassettes or panels. [3]

Normal performance

Helicobacter pylori belongs to the microbes that settle on the gastric mucosa: the microorganisms cling to the villous epithelium and become a provoking factor in the development of 85% of ulcerative lesions of the stomach and 12-peritoneum. Fecal samples are desirable to examine when the disease relapses, but there are no special requirements for the timing of the analysis. Stool of any consistency is suitable for the study.

The test results can only be reported in two ways: bacteria (+) or (-). No apparatus is required to perform a stool test for Helicobacter pylori. [4]

Raising and lowering of values

There is nothing complicated in the interpretation of the resultant values of fecal analysis for Helicobacter pylori, since most often only two totals are indicated on the laboratory form:

• negative result - no Helicobacter pylori bacteria detected;
• positive for Helicobacter pylori.

Increasing and decreasing values occur if the patient's venous blood is taken for the study. Stool analysis is just a qualitative diagnosis, without counting the probable number of pathogens.

Positive stool test for Helicobacter.

Do not assume that a positive stool test for Helicobacter directly indicates the presence of pathologies of the stomach and 12-perestine. It often happens that the carrier of the infection is perfectly healthy, because it has a genetic immunity to the bacterium: this means that the microorganisms are simply not able to linger on the gastric mucosal layer.

Clinically significant situations are those in which the presence of Helicobacter is associated with symptoms characteristic of chronic inflammation of the 12-intestine or gastric ulcer.

Nevertheless, regardless of the severity of the clinical picture, a positive stool test for Helicobacter pylori should be a reason to prescribe eradication (anti-Helicobacter) treatment.