Abstract
Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) inhabits the stomach of more than 50% of the world' population. Antibiotic susceptibility testing and susceptibility-based eradication therapy is recommended to improve eradication therapy and to decrease rates of antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to assess the clinical usefulness of H. pylori culture and antibiotic sensitivity (for antibiotics commonly used in the treatment of H. pylori bacterium). Patients and Methods: One hundred adult patients presented for upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination with H. pylori-related dyspepsia were included. The clinical history, physical examination and laboratory data were recorded. Additionally, five gastric biopsies were obtained from the body and antrum and diagnosis of H. pylori was made by positive rapid urease test for gastric biopsies. Culture for H. pylori was done under microaerophilic incubation and when growth was detected, susceptibility of H. pylori bacterium to clarithromycin, levofloxacin, amoxicillin, moxifloxacin, metronidazole, doxycycline, and rifampicin were examined through disc diffusion method. Results: only 11% of gastric biopsies gave positive culture growth. There was a universal resistance to amoxicillin (100%), metronidazole (100%) and rifampicin (100%); variable resistance to clarithromycin (54.5%) and doxycycline (9.1%); with no resistance to levofloxacin (0%) or moxifloxacin (0%). Conclusion: The yield of H. pylori culture is low (11% in our study), but it gives beneficial data about antibiotic resistance and provides a clue to improve H. pylori eradication success rate and decrease antibiotic resistance.