Comparison of the HM-CAP and E-Plate Serum Antibody Kit for the Assessment of Helicobacter pylori Eradication in Japan

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is known to be associated with peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, MALT lymphoma, and gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of a new E-plate serum antibody kit, developed in Japan using H. pylori strains isolated from Japanese patients, in the assessment of eradication, with an HM-CAP kit for comparison. The subjects were 100 H. pylori positive patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy between October 1999 and June 2000. Eradication assessment performed using E-plate kit with the cut-off values for the delta value of the antibody titre set at −20%, −30%, and −40%, yielded sensitivity/specificity of 93.9%/85.7%, 92.4%/85.7%, and 72.7%/92.9%, respectively, for agreement rates with eradication assessments using endoscopic biopsy specimens at 2 months post-eradication therapy. Use of the HM-CAP kit with cut-off values of −5%, −10%, and −15% yielded sensitivity/specificity of 97.0%/28.6%, 83.3%/85.7%, and 53.0%/100%, respectively. These results indicated that the E-plate kit is more useful for eradication assessment in Japan.