title: A growing demand for Helicobacter pylori culture in the near future?
abstract: Culture is the basic method in bacteriology. It allowed the discovery of Helicobacter pylori. Problems in the culture of this fragile, slow-growing bacterium concern transport and processing in the laboratory, but they can be solved. Culture has a 100% specificity. When performed properly, it has a sensitivity in the range of the other best diagnostic methods for Helicobacter pylori. It allows strain typing and, most importantly, susceptibility testing to antibiotics, because an increased rate of acquired resistance of Helicobacter pylori is currently observed. Culture must be performed in clinical trials, at least when antibiotics, to which Helicobacter pylori may be resistant, are used. In clinical practice, culture and susceptibility testing can generally be restricted to treatment failures. However, it is important to monitor Helicobacter pylori susceptibility to antibiotics at a national or regional level in order to give recommendations for primary treatment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Bactériologie-Enfants, Hôpital Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mégraud
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D003470:Culture Media; D005544:Forecasting; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003470:Culture Media