Detection of Helicobacter pylori by immunoblot: a multiple-center study

To evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)antibody detection kit (immunoblot) in typing H. pylori strains, and to investigate the relationship between characteristics of H. pylori strains and clinical outcomes. A total of 378 patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms who had received gastroscopy and had pathological results within the period from March to August 2012 were collected from 6 centers in China.In all the patients, H. pylori antibody detection kit was used to detect and type serum H. pylori antibodies.The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of immunoblot in diagnosing H. pylori infection were evaluation in comparison to (13)C urea breath test (UBT) as the"gold standard". The results were also compared with those colloidal gold method.The relationship between H. pylori typing and clinical conditions was analyzed. Totally 378 patients were enrolled, in which 257 had H. pylori-positive (13)C UBT results, and 121 were negative.With (13)C UBT as the"gold standard"