title: Application of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for the detection of Helicobacter pylori.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peptic ulceration following infection of the stomach with H. Pylori is a common disease. Accurate and rapid detection of the bacteria can lead to the implementation of appropriate treatment and recovery. Chronic infection of the gastric milieu with H. Pylori may lead to gastric carcinoma. Routine detection of this bacterium in peptic ulcer is based on the urease test and culture of peptic biopsies. Unfortunately, the sensitivity and specificity of both tests are not satisfying. Molecular techniques have been successfully applied for the rapid and accurate detection of bacterial agents in clinical samples. This study was undertaken to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in the detection of H. Pylori in patients suffering from dyspepsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred gastric biopsy samples taken by endoscopy from the antrum and corpus of the stomach were tested by FISH and compared with the conventional culture method complemented by biochemical tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FISH detected H. Pylori in 48 clinical samples, while the conventional method detected 42 samples. The sensitivity and specificity of FISH for the detection of H. Pylori were calculated as 98% and 100%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study suggest that FISH is a highly suitable and rapid method for diagnosing H. Pylori. Especially when the samples are taken from the antrum and the corpus of the stomach, this technique potentially can be applied routinely for the detection of this bacterium in clinical samples.
authors.affiliation: Research Center of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapoor University of Medical Sciences, Iran. samarbafa@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ali Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Samarbaf-Zadeh
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tajbakhsh
authors.forename: Seid Mojtaba
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Moosavian
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadeghi-Zadeh
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azmi
authors.forename: Jalal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hashemi
authors.forename: Abdolrahim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Masjedi-Zadeh
mesh_terms: D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D005773:Gastroscopy; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity