Comparative Analysis of Diagnostic Techniques for <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection: Insights for Effective Therapy

Effective therapy against Helicobacter pylori hinges on a timely and accurate diagnosis. The objective is to assess H. pylori infection in dyspeptic patients and compare various indicative tests. After approval, gastrointestinal biopsies and blood samples of 96 subjects exhibiting gastroduodenal symptoms were collected; both invasive and non-invasive tests were employed to analyse the samples. Results revealed 40 cases (41.67%) positive for H. pylori via histopathology and rapid urease testing, while 46 subjects tested positive for IgA and IgG antibodies via ELISA. Eighteen biopsies showed positivity in the culture test, corroborated by endoscopic examination and biochemical assessments (urease, catalase and oxidase). The isolates showed various degrees of resistance to antibiotics, while polymyxin B showed the highest (100%) followed by amoxicillin (88.90%) and kanamycin (77.78%). Additionally, the CagA gene presence was detected in 18 individuals through molecular methods. Sensitivity and specificity percentages (%) varied among diagnostic methods: histopathology (95/77), rapid urease (100/83.5), gram staining (85.7/90), IgG serology (100/66.6), IgA serology (100/79.5), PCR (100/75), RUT and IgG serology combination (100/79.04), and RUT, Gram staining and IgG serology combination (100/92.4), respectively. PCR emerged as the most reliable test. In the current investigation, other tests also exhibited high sensitivity and specificity values. Thus, employing comparative detection methods rather than relying solely on one methodology is advisable for accurate detection.