[Does the authentication of the antibodies against Helicobacter pylori have contribution to its diagnosis?]

Generally, it is possible to use both invasive and non-invasive methods for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection. One of the non-invasive methods not requiring endoscopic examination of the patient is, besides the breath test and stool antigen test, serological detection of the antibodies. Antibodies are determined in the IgM, IgG and IgA classes using the ELISA method with a sensitivity of 82-96 % and specificity of 67-92 %. Confirmation with the Western blot allows more precise specification of the infection. At the same time, it is possible to identify individual specific antibodies against Helicobacter pylori antigens. It allows determination of antibodies against CagA which is considered an important virulence marker. The study comprised 447 sera from patients tested by ELISA to determine antibodies against Helicobacter pylori in the IgG and IgA classes in 2009-2010 (since 2010 also in the IgM class). Additionally, two interesting case reports are presented.