Application of polymerase chain reaction-based assays for rapid identification and antibiotic resistance screening of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsies.

The benefits of using a multiplex detection polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for Helicobacter pylori speciation and 2 real-time probe hybridization assays determining clarithromycin and tetracycline susceptibilities in gastric biopsies from 171 dyspeptic patients were investigated. Overall, 70 of 71 H. pylori culture-positive biopsies were PCR positive. For the 100 culture-negative biopsies, PCR identified a further 29 H. pylori positives (17% overall) and presence of resistance markers for clarithromycin (20/28) and tetracycline (2/28). The results demonstrated that PCR testing was valuable in providing improved detection rates and antibiotic susceptibility information when H. pylori culture was unsuccessful.