Abstract
We previously detected Helicobacter pylori infection by stool antigen ELISA assay in 33-41% of asymptomatic Chilean children between 2-3 years of age, of which 11-20% had a transient infection and 21-22% a persistent infection. A total of 88% of ELISA-positive samples were also rtPCR positive, while 37/133 (33%) of ELISA-negative stool samples were rtPCR positive. The significance of a ELISA-negative/rtPCR-positive sample requires clarification. We aimed to determine whether rtPCR is able to detect persistent infections not detected by ELISA. We selected 36 children with an ELISA-negative/rtPCR-positive stool sample, of which 25 were never H. pylori infected according to ELISA, and 11 had a transient infection with an ELISA-positive sample before or after the discordant sample. At least two additional consecutive ELISA-negative samples per child were tested in duplicate by rtPCR for the 16s rRNA gene. A total of 14 of 78 (17.9%) rtPCR reactions were positive, but only 4/78 (5.1%) were positive in both duplicates, representing a total of 3/36 (8.3%) children with an additional rtPCR-positive sample, only one of whom was persistently negative by ELISA. One child with a transient infection had two positive rtPCR reactions despite negative ELISA samples. In H. pylori noninfected or transiently infected children, as determined by stool ELISA, additional ELISA-negative/rtPCR-positive stool samples were found in 8.3% of children, but a possible persistent infection was only identified in 2.7% of children. Thus, the characterization of infection dynamics in children is not being misrepresented by application of stool ELISA. Furthermore, rtPCR does not significantly improve dynamic characterization.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.