Clinical Usefulness of Culturing H. Pylori from Gastric Juice in Patients with Severe Neurological Impairment

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectives:To clarify the diagnostic usefulness of culturing Helicobacter pylori from gastric juice for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in patients with neurologic impairment.Methods:Seventy‐five patients (44 males, 31 females) with severe neurologic impairment admitted to Tokyo Children's Rehabilitation Hospital were included in this study. Samples of gastric juice obtained from these patients were put into Helicoporter™, a transport medium for H. pylori. Samples were then centrifuged and sediment was inoculated onto a culture medium. Polymerase chain reaction assays were performed on 41 gastric juice samples for comparison with results of culture. Tests for occult blood in gastric juice and serum anti‐H. pylori immunoglobulin G were tested for all patients.Results:H. pylori was isolated from 33 of 75 gastric juice samples by culture (positive rate, 44%). There was agreement between results of culture and polymerase chain reaction assays in 38 samples (93%). Twenty‐two samples were positive and 16 were negative by both methods. In H. pylori immunoglobulin G‐positive patients, occult blood was more frequently found in the culture‐positive group (92%) than in the culture‐negative group (59%) (P <0.025). The rate of detection of occult blood in immunoglobulin G‐negative patients was similar in the culture‐positive group (44%) and culture‐negative group (50%).Conclusions:The combination of a culture method using gastric juice and a serum H. pylori immunoglobulin G assay was not invasive and clinically useful for evaluating H. pylori infections among handicapped patients.