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HelpTest Code HPFRP Helicobacter pylori with Clarithromycin Resistance Prediction, Molecular Detection, PCR, Feces
Ordering Guidance
Confirmation of eradication testing should not be ordered until 4 or more weeks after cessation of treatment.
Specimen Required
The high sensitivity of amplification by polymerase chain reaction requires the specimen to be processed in an environment in which contamination of the specimen by Helicobacter pylori DNA is unlikely.
Patient Preparation:
1. For 4 weeks prior to testing, patient should not take antibiotics.
2. For 2 weeks prior to testing, patient should not take proton pump inhibitors or bismuth compounds.
Supplies: Culture and Sensitivity Stool Transport Vial (T058)
Specimen Type: Preserved feces
Submission Container/Tube: Commercially available transport system specific for recovery of enteric pathogens from fecal specimens (15 mL of nonnutritive transport medium containing phenol red as a pH indicator, either Cary-Blair or Para-Pak C and S)
Specimen Volume: 5 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Collect fresh fecal specimen and submit 1 gram or 5 mL in container with transport medium.
2. Place feces in preservative within 2 hours of collection.
3. Place vial in a sealed plastic bag and send ambient or refrigerated. Specimens sent frozen will be rejected.
Useful For
Aiding in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection and prediction of clarithromycin resistance or susceptibility directly from stool
Special Instructions
Method Name
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Reporting Name
H pylori + Clarithro Resist, PCR, FSpecimen Type
FecalSpecimen Minimum Volume
1 mL
Specimen Stability Information
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time | Special Container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fecal | Ambient (preferred) | 7 days | |
| Refrigerated | 7 days |
Reject Due To
| Fecal swab ESwab transport medium Feces in gel transport medium ECOFIX preservative formalin PVA fixative Unpreserved stool |
Reject |
Clinical Information
Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of peptic ulcer disease and, when left untreated, a risk factor for gastric cancer. Traditionally, H pylori diagnosis has included noninvasive tests (eg, urea breath test, fecal antigen test) or invasive tests (eg, gastric biopsy). Antimicrobial resistance in H pylori is poorly studied but is rising, challenging its treatment; in 2012, an international clinical consortium study group recommended monitoring of clarithromycin resistance rates and ceasing its use at a threshold range of 15% to 20%.(1) Local monitoring has been practically impossible as not all patients undergo invasive testing, which yields a culture isolate that can be subjected to susceptibility testing. Even if invasive testing is performed, the organism can be difficult to isolate in culture and is highly fastidious once isolated, oftentimes not being amenable to phenotypic susceptibility testing. Further, there are only a handful of specialized microbiology laboratories that perform H pylori susceptibility testing. In an internal study of local and referred isolates published in 2016, clarithromycin resistance was observed to be most commonly due to A2143G (70/88 isolates, 79.6%), followed by A2142G (12/88 isolates, 13.6%) and A2142C (3/88 isolates, 3.4%) alterations in the 23S ribosomal RNA gene.(2) Overall, one of these alterations was found in 97% of clarithromycin resistant H pylori isolates studied.
Reference Values
Not detected
Performing Laboratory
Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester
Test Classification
This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.CPT Code Information
87798
Day(s) Performed
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Report Available
4 to 6 daysForms
If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send one of the following with the specimen:
1. Microbiology Test Request (T244)