CLOtest Rapid Urease Test - Diagnosing H pylori

Each year, millions of patients visit their physicians complaining of digestive symptoms, most commonly functional dyspepsia ("indigestion") or gastroesophageal reflux ("heartburn"). However, many patients with abdominal discomfort are suffering from gastric or duodenal ulcers, which are commonly caused by H pylori and thus are curable. Clearing the infection usually heals the ulcer and prevents relapse, so an accurate diagnosis is important. There are several options for diagnosing H pylori infection: serology to detect antibodies against the bacterium; endoscopic biopsy for urease testing ( H pylori produce a urease that breaks down urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide); histology with special stains; or culture. Unfortunately, these procedures are invasive, expensive, or not always accurate. Serological tests require a blood sample and tell only that a patient has been exposed to H pylori at some time in the past, but not whether the patient is currently infected. Endoscopy and biopsy can detect current infection -- the CLOtest urease test allows rapid detection of H pylori in gastric biopsy specimens -- but endoscopy and biopsy are unpleasant medical procedures and require laboratory work. False negatives with these procedures range from 5 to 15%, so further testing may be required to rule out infection.