PCR based detection of helicobacter pylori compared with CLO in stomach biopsy samples from patients with dyspepsia: a pilot study

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection can lead to a range of gastrointestinal diseases, including gastritis and peptic ulcers, and can develop into stomach cancer if left untreated. Treating H. pylori infection in an early stage is crucial to mitigate these health risks and improve digestive health. The CLO test is the primary method for clinical H. pylori detection due to its ease of use and time efficiency. We collected seven biopsy samples through endoscopy from patients exhibiting symptoms of dyspepsia. The samples were subjected to molecular diagnostic procedures in the laboratory of Brac University. DNA extraction was carried out followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers of two genes, UreA and 23S rRNA. It was conducted in order to isolate and amplify the DNA of H. pylori. In CLO testing, 71% of the selected patients tested positive for H. pylori infection, whereas only 29% of the patient pool was found to be positive for both the UreA gene and the 23S rRNA gene. Such discrepancies in positivity rates raise questions about the effectiveness of the standard testing method (CLO) for detecting an intensive infection like H. pylori.