Helicobacter pylori | Poliklinika Analiza

Quantum dot - Helicobacter pylori test

Are stomach problems and abdominal pain troubling you?

You may be one of the millions affected by Helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium that can be found in the stomach lining and infect the digestive system. As many as 65% of the adult Croatian population are infected with H.pylori.

H.pylori is a spiral-shaped bacterium and one of the most important risk factors for developing gastritis and stomach and duodenal ulcers; untreated infection can result in the development of
stomach cancer and a rare type of lymphatic tumour – MALT lymphoma.

Symptoms and complaints

The most common symptoms of H.pylori infection are heartburn, nausea, belching, bloating and upper abdominal pain; loss of appetite and weight loss may also occur.

Split

Dugopolje

Zadar

Šibenik

021 688 888

Zagreb

Varaždin

01 2099 880

Rijeka

051 309 309

[email protected]

Why is it important to know whether you are infected with Helicobacter Pylori?

Helicobacter pylori can cause a range of serious diseases:

chronic gastritis — almost 25% of all chronic gastritis is caused by H. pylori
stomach or duodenal ulcer — 4 to 10 times higher risk of developing ulcer disease
stomach cancer — almost eight times higher risk of stomach cancer

How is Quantum dot technology better than previous methods?

Thanks to Quantum dot technology, we can now diagnose the three most important H.pylori pathogenicity factors: urease, cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA), and vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA), enabling H.pylori typing and distinguishing two possible types of infection

	TRADITIONAL TEST	QUANTUM DOT TEST
Typing capability	No	Yes
Preparation for testing	Yes	No
Accuracy	80%	98.5%

Thanks to Quantum dot technology:

the discomfort of invasive examinations is avoided
false-positive or false-negative results are avoided
testing can be performed in children and pregnant women
the most important H.pylori adaptation factors are detected: urease helps the bacterium survive acidic conditions, while CagA and VacA increase pathogenicity and lead to more severe disease
information is obtained about H.pylori virulence, as not all H.pylori strains are equally virulent (pathogenic)
high-quality monitoring of eradication therapy success is ensured
additional attention is paid to intestinal flora health, because the body needs as long as six months to rebalance its digestive microbiome after antibiotic therapy

What is urease?

Urease is an enzyme produced by H.pylori that breaks urea down into ammonia and CO2, neutralising the acidic stomach environment and helping H.pylori survive in a favourable microenvironment.

What is cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA)?

CagA is the most virulent H.pylori factor, stimulating hyperproliferation of gastric epithelial cells and identifying this molecule as a bacterial oncoprotein. It was recently discovered that CagA enables H.pylori to evade the immune system, facilitating infection.

What is vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA)?

VacA is a multifunctional toxin that causes vacuolation of stomach cells and cell necrosis. Vacuolating cytotoxin promotes H.pylori survival regardless of the presence of CagA.

UREASE	CagA	VacA	WHAT IT INDICATES
–	–	–	The result indicates no H.pylori infection
+	–	–	This combination of parameters suggests a type II infection characterised by a non-virulent or weakly virulent form of H.pylori without toxin production.
+	+	–	This combination of parameters suggests a type I infection characterised by highly pathogenic, toxin-producing H.pylori.
+	+	+	This combination of parameters suggests a type I infection characterised by highly pathogenic, toxin-producing H.pylori