Non-invasive diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection: simplified 13C-urea breath test, stool antigen testing, or DNA PCR in human feces in a clinical laboratory setting?

Objectives: (1) To compare two stool antigen EIAs (HpSA, FemtoLab) and PCR of ureaseA and cagA in feces, with (13)C-urea breath test (UBT). (2) To ascertain whether a simplified UBT (breath collection time = 10 min) is as reliable as the standard assay (30 min).

Design And Methods: Helicobacter pylori status was recorded in Group 1 (n = 187) by UBT, H.