Diagnosis of helicobacter pylori infection in a high-prevalence pediatric population: A comparison of 2 fecal antigen testing methods and serology

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Accurate methods for diagnosing active Helicobacter pylori infection in children have been limited to invasive or time-consuming techniques. Recently, fecal antigen testing has been used successfully for the diagnosis of H pylori infection in the pediatric population. We compared 2 monoclonal fecal antigen diagnostic methods in a population of children with a suspected high prevalence of H pylori infection. We also assessed the diagnostic performance of H pylori immunoglobulin G serology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of African refugee children (<16 years) we compared an immunochromatographic technique (ICT) and serology with a monoclonal fecal antigen enzyme..