[Diagnosis of H. pylori infection by PCR]

Because of its high sensitivity, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method can be used to detect the presence of very few numbers of H. pylori organisms in gastric biopsy materials or gastric juice samples. PCR has also been applied to the detection of H. pylori organisms in the oral cavity, in stools, and in the environment. RT-PCR is useful to study the expression of H. pylori pathogenic genes and gene expression of gastric mucosal cells in response to H. pylori infection. Other PCR-based techniques, such as PCR-RFLP or real-time quantitative PCR, are now providing important information on H. pylori and pathophysiology of H. pylori infection.