New immunoassay in stool provides an accurate noninvasive diagnostic method for Helicobacter pylori screening in children.
OBJECTIVE
The noninvasive (13)C-urea breath test (UBT) is a reliable diagnostic method for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in children, and it avoids invasive gastrointestinal endoscopy. In this study, we compared a noninvasive, newly developed fecal H pylori antigen test with the UBT.


METHODS
One hundred sixty-two children (76 girls and 86 boys) were tested for H pylori infection using the UBT and a new antigen test in stool samples. The H pylori stool test is based on a sandwich enzyme immunoassay with antigen detection.


RESULTS
Twenty-four of the children (14.8%) with dyspepsia tested positive for H pylori according to the breath test results. In 22 of the 24 patients, H pylori antigen could be detected in the stool (sensitivity: 91.6%). Of 138 patients with negative UBT results, 136 were H pylori-negative in the stool test (specificity: 98.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
The new, noninvasive, low-cost H pylori antigen test in stool can replace the UBT for detection of H pylori infection in children with comparable reliability and accuracy.
Braden
B
B
Center of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany. braden@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Posselt
H G
HG
Ahrens
P
P
Kitz
R
R
Dietrich
C F
CF
Caspary
W F
WF
D000293:Adolescent; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D001944:Breath Tests; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D014508:Urea / Q000032:analysis
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D014508:Urea