A two-step PCR-based assay of a small region of the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria can help detect H. pylori infection and also identify clarithromycin-resistant bacteria in six-seven hours has been developed by a team of researchers from the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (ICMR-NICED), Kolkata.
About H. pylori
- H. pylori bacteria grow slowly. It takes about a week to culture the bacteria and a couple of more weeks to test for drug-sensitivity, which the new diagnostic assay bypasses.
- The molecular-based assay has been found to have 100% sensitivity and specificity.
- There is an increasing trend of clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori bacteria in India leading to a decreasing success rate in treating the infection.
- In India, H. pylori infections affect 60-70% of the population.
- H. pylori infection is often acquired during childhood and remains in the stomach throughout life if not treated with antibiotics effectively.
- H. pylori infection is one of the robust known risk factors for gastric cancer.
