Helicobacter pylori infection in healthy people: a dynamic process?

Abstract

The excellent sensitivity and specificity of the urea breath test9 101718 and its simplicity make it an ideal method for screening people for H pylori colonisation. Thus we evaluated 100 healthy adults with a broad age range for past or active H pylori infection using serology and the urea breath test. Patients and methods PATIENTSOne hundred people aged 20 to 92 participated in this study. All were healthy and were invited by the investigators to participate. They were recruited from family members, friends, and relatives of the investigators and fellow workers. None had a history of chronic dyspepsia, peptic ulcers, or gastric or other abdominal surgery except for appendicitis; none had taken antacids, a bismuth preparation, or other drugs for dyspepsia within the previous year, and none had taken antibiotics within the three months before the study. The protocol was approved by the University of Basel Ethical Committee and each subject gave written informed consent.'3C-UREA BREATH TEST All breath tests were performed in the morning after an overnight fast according to the method used and validated previously'0; Dill et al have shown that the urea breath test has a sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 100%, respectively.'0 Briefly, the subjects drank 150 ml of a liquid test meal to delay gastric emptying and subsequently 150 mg '3C-urea dissolved in 20 ml of tap water. 'C-urea (99% '3C) was purchased as a crystalline substance (Tracer Technologies Inc, Somerville MA, USA). The test meal we used was a 25% glucose polymeric solution that was prepared as a powder (glucose 4 g, maltose 2 g, polysaccharide 30 g, citric acid 0.2 g) in 250 ml bottles and dissolved with 150 ml of tap water immediately before use. Two breath samples were obtained at baseline and then every 15 min for up to 60 min and stored in silicon-coated, evacuated 20 ml glass tubes (vacutainers) for later analysis. Excess '3C02 in breath samples was measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (Sira 10, VG

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> and Gastric Erosions

“…In our study, 19% of all volunteers, but 32% by the age of 60, were H. pylori positive. This observation is consistent with previous studies from Switzerland [19, 20]. …”

Prevalence of <i>Helicobacte</i><i>r</i><i>pylor</i><i>i</i> Infection and Chronic Dyspeptic Symptoms among Immigrants from Developing Countries and People Born in Industrialized Countries

“…At the time of breath testing, serum was obtained for determination of II. pylori IgG antibodies with a spe cific, second-generation ELISA technique (Roche, Basel, Switzerland [20]. The test was considered as positive if the antibody titer was lOU/ml.…”

Human peripheral and gastric lymphocyte responses to Helicobacter pylori NapA and AphC differ in infected and uninfected individuals

“…[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Given the high incidence of H pylori infection in the broad population it is likely that some individuals eliminate the infection without intervention. This is a contentious issue however but one that may have implications relating to the actual incidence of exposure as many such individuals would remain seropositive but undetected.…”