Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a cause of a worldwide infection that affects both humans and animals. It is a causative agent for gastritis and peptic ulcers and is associated with the development of gastric carcinomas. Both invasive tests (bacterial culture, histopathology, and biopsy urease test RUT or Campylobacter like organism (CLO) gel test) and non-invasive tests (13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT), serological test and a commercial kit using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay examined H. pylori antigen in the stool HpSA) are conducted for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. In this review we analysed 124 studies conducted to systematically review the accuracy of the different tests for H. pylori infection and compare mean sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic tests as well as antibiogram and eradication control of H. pylori infection using abstracts and PubMed database. Histological examination and rapid urease testing showed excellent diagnostic reliability and the stool antigen test is a good, noninvasive cost-effective method. Recently Loop- mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique is considered a useful and safe assay for identifying H. pylori infection and could be used as an alternative method in the H. pylori detection.
Keywords: Antibiogram, biopsy urease test, CLO gel test, Helicobacter pylori, Loop- mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique, stool HpSA, urea breath test.