Helicobacter Pylori Treatment Eradication in Egypt: Standard Clarithromycin-based Triple versus Quadruple Regimen Therapy

Absence of adequate treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection leads to prolonged life time colonization which is responsible for complications. Antibiotics resistance is the main cause of eradication failure in H. pylori infection, thus our study aimed to evaluate the efficiency and tolerability of standard triple therapy vs. quadruple regimen therapy in H. pylori eradication in Egypt.

Evaluating Diagnostic Tests for Helicobacter pylori Infection Without a Reference Standard: Use of Latent Class Analysis

Evaluation of diagnostic tests requires reference standards, which are often unavailable. Latent class analysis (LCA) can be used to evaluate diagnostic tests without reference standards, using a combination of observed and estimated results. Conditionally independent diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori infection are required. We used LCA to construct a reference standard and evaluate the capability of non-invasive tests (stool antigen test and serum antibody test) to diagnose H. pylori infection compared with the conventional method, where histology is the reference standard. A total of 96 healthy subjects with endoscopy histology results were enrolled from January to July 2016. Sensitivity and specificity were determined for the LCA approach (i.e., using a combination of three tests as the reference standard) and the conventional method. When LCA was used, sensitivity and specificity were 83.8% and 99.4% for histology, 80.0% and 81.9% for the stool antigen test, and 63.6% and 89.3% for the serum antibody test, respectively. When the conventional method was used, sensitivity and specificity were 75.8% and 71.1% for the stool antigen test and 77.7% and 60.7% for the serum antibody test, respectively. LCA can be applied to evaluate diagnostic tests that lack a reference standard.

Standardizing Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection to Improve Diagnostic Accuracy / 胃肠病学

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is important for the prevention and treatment of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. The Chinese consensus on the management of Hp infection has taken "confirmed Hp infection" as an indication for eradication. The World Gastroenterology Organisation global guideline states the "test-and-treat strategy" for Hp infection. Accurate diagnosis of Hp infection is a prerequisite for standardized eradication. There are many methods to diagnose Hp infection. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Different methods are suitable for different diseases and patients, and each method has strict requirements for reagents, equipment, testers and patients. Therefore, increasing the awareness of physicians and testers about the standardized diagnosis of Hp infection is essential to improve the diagnostic accuracy.

Two cases of cholera O1 in South Batinah, Oman, April 2019: lessons learned / 한국역학회지

Cholera represents an ongoing threat to many low-income and middle-income countries, but some cases of cholera even occur in high-income countries. Therefore, to prevent or combat cholera outbreaks, it is necessary to maintain the capacity to rapidly detect cholera cases, implement infection control measures, and improve general hygiene in terms of the environment, water, and food. The 2 cases, 1 imported and 1 secondary, described herein are broadly indicative of areas that require improvement. These cases were missed at the primary health care stage, which should be the first detection point even for unusual diseases such as cholera, and the absence of strict infection control practices at the primary care level is believed to contribute to secondary cases of infection. This report also encourages countries to ensure that rapid diagnostic stool tests are available to enable quick detection, as well as to provide information to people travelling to areas where cholera is endemic.

Two cases of cholera O1 in South Batinah, Oman, April 2019: lessons learned / 한국역학회지

Cholera represents an ongoing threat to many low-income and middle-income countries, but some cases of cholera even occur in high-income countries. Therefore, to prevent or combat cholera outbreaks, it is necessary to maintain the capacity to rapidly detect cholera cases, implement infection control measures, and improve general hygiene in terms of the environment, water, and food. The 2 cases, 1 imported and 1 secondary, described herein are broadly indicative of areas that require improvement. These cases were missed at the primary health care stage, which should be the first detection point even for unusual diseases such as cholera, and the absence of strict infection control practices at the primary care level is believed to contribute to secondary cases of infection. This report also encourages countries to ensure that rapid diagnostic stool tests are available to enable quick detection, as well as to provide information to people travelling to areas where cholera is endemic.

Application of a stool antigen test to evaluate the burden of Helicobacter pylori infection in dyspepsia patients.

Helicobacter pylori (HP) is causally associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinoma. Determination of the prevalence of HP infection in dyspepsia patients’ in particular geographical area is imperative for the appropriate management of dyspepsia. HP antigen detection in stool is a noninvasive diagnostic test of HP infection. This prospective study was conducted to find out the prevalence of HP infection based on stool antigen testing in dyspeptic patients who had also undergone upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. This study highlights the high prevalence of HP infection in dyspeptic Indian patients, particularly males, and emphasizes the growing importance of the bacterium causing infection among children. We also found HP stool antigen testing to be superior to upper GI endoscopy for detecting HP infection. Hence, we recommend initial testing for HP stool antigen in dyspeptic patients before initiating treatment and before carrying out any invasive procedure such as endoscopy.

Updates on the Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children: What Are the Differences between Adults and Children? / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Helicobacter pylori infection is acquired mainly during childhood and causes various diseases such as gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and iron deficiency anemia. Although H. pylori infection in children differs from adults in many ways, this is often overlooked in clinical practice. Unlike adults, nodular gastritis may be a pathognomonic endoscopic finding of childhood H. pylori infection. Histopathological findings of gastric tissues are also different in children due to predominance of lymphocytes and plasma cells and the formation of gastric MALT. Although endoscopy is recommended for the initial diagnosis of H. pylori infection, several non-invasive diagnostic tests such as the urea breath test (UBT) and the H. pylori stool antigen test (HpSA) are available and well validated even in children. According to recent data, both the ¹³C-UBT and HpSA using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay are reliable non-invasive tests to determine H. pylori status after eradication therapy, although children younger than 6 years are known to have high false positives. When invasive or noninvasive tests are applied to children to detect H. pylori infection, it should be noted that there are differences between children and adults in diagnosing H. pylori infection.

Advantages of serological testing for Helicobacter pylori infection as a screening test.

As the practicing physicians start treating all dyspeptic symptoms as peptic ulcer disease and some patients are treated for Helicobacter pylori infection without confirmation of infection. Hence, a simple and convenient test to identify the H. pylori infection is essential in the management of all dyspepsia. Serological test is a noninvasive test and result can be obtained within short time and treatment can be started early. Methods: A total of 86 outpatients with dyspeptic symptoms underwent both serological test and endoscopy and biopsy for H. pylori infection. Serological testing for H. pylori is based on the immunoglobulin G antibody to H. pylori infection. Results: Of 86 patients, 79 patients’ biopsy were positive for H. pylori and 77 patients were positive by serology. Of them, 75 were both positive for H. pylori by biopsy and also by serology. Those 7, who are negative for histology is also negative for serology. Comparing endoscopic biopsy with serology, the specificity, sensitivity are 97.5, 98 for serology. Conclusions: Serological tests assess the global presence of H. pylori in the stomach even when the bacteria are irregularly distributed on the gastric mucosa. Serology testing is cheaper and more convenient, and thus should be preferred in situations where the additional information yielded by an endoscopy is not needed.

Efficacy of Different Laboratory Tests to Diagnose Helicobacter pylori Infection.

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram negative bacteria which causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, primary B-cell gastric lymphoma, and adenocarcinoma of the stomach. There are a set of laboratory tests to diagnose H. pylori infection with a variable accuracy, they are divided into non-invasive tests and invasive tests. Non-invasive tests include serology, urea breath test (UBT) and stool antigen test (SAT). Invasive tests include rapid urease test (RUT), histology and culture. This cross sectional study was carried out in the Department of Gastroenterology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and H. pylori laboratory of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) from July 2008 to September 2009 to evaluate the efficacy of RUT, SAT and Culture as a diagnostic tool for H. pylori. Dyspeptic patients were collected from outpatient department of BSMMU. Out of 224 dyspeptic patients 149 patients had ulcers or erosions in the stomach or duodenum. Stool sample could be collected from 139 patients. RUT has sensitivity of 100%, specificity 80.28%, positive predictive value 85% and negative predictive value 100%. Regarding culture, sensitivity is 100%, specificity 94.37%, positive predictive value 95% and negative predictive value 100%. Stool antigen test has sensitivity 95.94%, specificity 92.31%,positive predictive value 93% and negative predictive value 95%.

The use of Helicobacter pylori stool antigen test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori in Lagos, Nigeria / El uso del test de antígeno en heces para el diagnóstico de la infección por Helicobacter pylori en Lagos, Nigeria

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to screen the use of Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA) tests for diagnosis and monitoring of H pylori in Nigeria. METHODS: Seven hundred and forty participants were enrolled after informed consent was obtained, while 83 came back for a post-eradication test. The stool samples were taken from the patients at endoscopy and tested for HpSA. RESULTS: The proportion of patients that were positive at the pretest, 520 (70.3%) was significantly higher (Fisher's exact p = 0.001) than those positive at the post-test, 44 (53%). There was a significant difference (F = 4.106, p = 0.043) between the mean age of those that came for the pretest (40.0 ± 14.5 years) and those that came for the post-test, 43.6 ± 11.6 years. More males than females had the tendency to come back for a post-eradication test. CONCLUSION: Although potential bias was introduced during this study, HpSA using monoclonal antibody could still be used for diagnosis and monitoring of H pylori in Nigeria.

OBJETIVOS: Este estudio se llevó a cabo con el propósito de examinar el uso del test de antígeno en heces (HpSA) para el diagnóstico y monitoreo de Helicobacter pylori en Nigeria MÉTODO: Tras obtener su consentimiento informado, se enrolaron ciento cuarenta participantes, mientras que 83 regresaron para un test de post-erradicación. Las muestras de heces fueron tomadas de pacientes en endoscopia e investigadas en busca de HpSA. RESULTADOS: La proporción de pacientes que resultaron positivos en el test previo, 520 (70.3%) fue significativamente mayor (Test exacto de Fisher p = 0.001) que la de los que resultaron positivos en el test posterior, 44(53%). Hubo una diferencia significativa (F = 4.106, p = 0.043) entre la edad promedio de los que vinieron al test previo (40.0 ± 14.5 años) y la de aquellos que vinieron al test posterior, 43.6 ± 11.6 años. Más varones que hembras mostraron tendencia a regresar al test de post-erradicación. CONCLUSION: Aunque un sesgo potencial fue introducido en este estudio, HpSA con anticuerpos monoclonales podría todavía usarse para el diagnóstico y monitoreo de H pylori en Nigeria.

Validation of a rapid stool antigen test for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection / Validação de teste rápido de antígeno fecal para diagnóstico de infecção por Helicobacter pylori

The aim of this study was to validate the rapid lateral flow Helicobacter pylori stool antigen test (One step H. pylori antigen test, ACON laboratories, San Diego, USA; Prime diagnostics, São Paulo), using 13C-Urea Breath Test as the gold standard for H. pylori infection diagnosis. A total of 98 consecutive patients, asymptomatic or dyspeptic, entered the study. Sixty-nine were women, with a mean age of 45.76 ± 14.59 years (14 to 79 years). In the H. pylori-positive group, the rapid stool antigen test detected H. pylori antigen in 44 of the 50 positive patients (sensitivity 88 percent; 95 percent CI: 75.7-95.5 percent), and six false-negative; and in the H. pylori-negative group 42 presented negative results (specificity 87.5 percent; 95 percent CI: 74.7-95.3 percent), and six false-positive, showing a substantial agreement (Kappa Index = 0.75; p < 0.0001; 95 percent CI: 0.6-0.9). Forty four of fifty patients that had positive stool antigen were H. pylori-positive, the PPV of the stool antigen test was 88 percent (95 percent CI: 75.7-95.5 percent), and 42 patients with negative stool antigen test were H. pylori-negative, the NPV of the stool antigen test was 87.5 percent (95 percent CI: 74.7-95.3 percent). We conclude that the lateral flow stool antigen test can be used as an alternative to breath test for H. pylori infection diagnosis especially in developing countries.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o teste rápido de antígeno de H. pylori nas fezes (One step H. pylori antigen test, ACON laboratories, San Diego, USA; Prime diagnostics, São Paulo), usando teste respiratório com uréia marcada com 13C (TRU-13C), como padrão ouro. Noventa e oito pacientes assintomáticos ou com dispepsia participaram do estudo. Sessenta e nove eram mulheres; a média de idade dos pacientes foi de 45.76 ± 14.59 (14 a 79 anos). No grupo H. pylori positivo, o teste rápido detectou antígenos de H. pylori nas fezes em 44 dos 50 pacientes positivos (sensibilidade de 88 por cento; 95 por cento IC: 75.7-95.5 por cento), com seis falso-negativos; e no grupo H. pylori negativo, 42 apresentaram resultados negativos (especificidade de 87,5 por cento; 95 por cento IC: 74.7-95.3 por cento), com seis falso-positivos, mostrando concordância substancial (índice Kappa = 0.75; p < 0.0001; 95 por cento IC: 0.6-0.9). Quarenta e quatro dos 50 que tiveram teste de antígeno fecal positivo eram H. pylori positivos, sendo o VPP do teste 88 por cento (95 por cento IC: 75.7-95.5 por cento), e 42 pacientes com teste de antígeno fecal negativo eram H. pylori negativos, com VPN de 87,5 por cento (95 por cento IC: 74.7-95.3 por cento). Concluímos que o teste de antígeno fecal imunocromatográfico pode ser usado como alternativa ao teste respiratório para diagnóstico de infecção pelo H. pylori, principalmente em países em desenvolvimento.