Resumo

FUENMAYOR B., Alisbeth et al. New Evidences About the Diagnostic Usefulness of a Non-Commercial Test for Detection of Helicobacter pylori Urease Activity in Gastric Biopsies . Kasmera [online]. 2006, vol.34, n.1, pp.40-52. ISSN 0075-5222.

The role of Helicobacter pylori on the development of gastro-duodenal diseases and gastric cancer, demands the availability of reliable tests to diagnose that infectious disease.  The rapid urease test, widely used, is a valuable tool for this purpose, but its expense limits the applicability of this test in our country. In this research, the diagnostic validity of a non-commercial inexpensive urease test was evaluated. It was prepared with Christensen’s urea agar, applied to antral gastric biopsies from 75 symptomatic adults who were submitted to digestive endoscopy. The positive result to any of the following methods was used as infection criteria: bacteriologic culture, Giemsa histological stain and polymerase chain reaction 35 out of 37 patients, in whom the infection was detected, were correctly diagnosed by this test (94.6%), and 29 of them (82.8%) were detected after two-hour incubation. The rate of false negatives was significantly reduced, and both sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy were increased in the readings practiced after 24-hour incubation. In conclusion, the performance of the urease test evaluated suggests that this is a highly reliable and low cost tool for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in individuals submitted to digestive endoscopy.

Palavras-chave : Helicobacter pylori; diagnosis; urease test; gastric biopsies; gastrointestinal endoscopy.