title: Evaluation of two stool antigen tests for the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in the Chinese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The stool antigen test, the HpSA test, has been validated mainly in Western countries, but not properly in the Chinese population. Recently, another stool antigen test, the Apollo test, was developed, but its accuracy has rarely been validated. The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy of these two tests in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in the Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive dyspeptic patients referred for upper endoscopy were recruited. During endoscopy, biopsies were taken for the rapid urease test and histological examination as the gold standard. Stool specimens were collected and used for the HpSA and Apollo tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 86 patients (39 males and 47 females, with a mean age of 55.8 years) were recruited. Helicobacter pylori infection was present in 44 (51%) patients as determined by the gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 86.4, 100, and 93.0%, respectively, for the HpSA, and 90.9, 97.6, and 94.2%, respectively, for the Apollo test when cases with equivocal results were considered as positive. In addition, agreement was achieved in 81 (94.2%) cases between the two tests, with a Kappa value of 0.887.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both the HpSA and Apollo tests achieve acceptable sensitivity and excellent specificity, with accuracies of over 90% for the detection of H. pylori infection in the Chinese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong S.A.R, China. bcywong@hku.hk
authors.forename: Benjamin Chun Yu
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Harry Hua Xiang
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Hess Kwan Lok
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Fook Hong
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Siu Yin
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Kai Chiu
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Shao Kai
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Wai Man
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Man Fung
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: Shiu Kum
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044466:Asian People; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial