Evaluation of a rapid, new method for detecting serum IgG antibodies to Helicobacter pylori

There is an increased need for rapid, inexpensive tests to diagnose Helicobacter pylori infection. Our objective was to determine the performance characteristics of an immunochromatographic test (ICT) for detection of anti-H. pylori IgG antibodies. A commercially available ICT kit (FlexSure HP) was tested with a well-characterized cohort of banked sera as well as with fresh serum from randomly selected symptomatic patients. The ICT was evaluated with 107 stored sera and 96 prospective patients. The test correctly identified 65 of 68 H. pylori-infected and 37 of 39 noninfected stored sera and 54 of 57 infected and 30 of 39 noninfected patients. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 96%, 95%, 97%, and 93% in stored serum and 95%, 77%, 86%, and 91% in fresh serum, respectively. We concluded that the ICT, reported at 4 min, is highly sensitive for detecting anti-H. pylori IgG antibodies in human serum. With a high negative predictive value, the test may be used to exclude H. pylori infection in symptomatic patients.