Helicobacter pylori Stool Antigen (HpSA)
Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) are the most common bacteria to infect humans. They are found in the gastric mucosa and the mouth and transmitted orally through saliva. H.pylori infection may cause symptoms such as gastritis, halitosis, heart burn and abdominal cramping and is known to be a major cause of gastric ulcers.
The Helicobacter pylori Stool Antigen test (HpSA) is an enzyme immunoassay which detects H.pylori antigens present in human stool samples. This faecal-antigen test overcomes most of the limitations of existing tests for H.pylori. HpSA has a 95% correlation with reference methods such as endoscopy, histology and urea breath test.
This is a non-invasive test which detects active infection. It is recommended that patients are retested four weeks after completion of eradication therapy.
