Can a routine stool test detect h pylori?

Digestive health
1

When I have gone to the doctor he have made me to undergone lab test such as blood urine stool and ultrasound. He also made me to undego endoscopy. Though he already tested for hpylori by getting piece of skin or anything in my stomach lining, someone told me that results from that kind of test is inconsistent so I have done a internet research and it does says so. Now I just want to make sure. I have the result of stool and blood test with me, its only a heamtolgy and a routine stool test. My question is can it detect if you have hpylori? Or there's a needed special stool test and blood test for hpylori? Below were the results.

 

2

hi I had a specific blood test for h pylori.

3

A stool test does pick up h pylori if the lab tests for it.  An endoscopy with biopsies taken should also show whether you have it or not. When you had you test results, did the doctor not explain them to you?  Did he tell you whether they were negative or positive?  The results that you attached unfortunately mean nothing to me because I am not a doctor.  I would go back to your doctor for further clarification and he will be better able to address any concerns you have.

4

He does not gave an explanation but the paper result indicated H.Pylori:negative. There's just someone in the community forum in facebook told me biopsy are inconsistent. I tried to search it and there's also a website that say so. That the most effective would be stool test. Thanks!

5

Thanks for your answer. Maybe there is really a specific test and not the routine one.

6

Sometimes the endoscopy method to detect h pylori is unreliable if you have been on PPI medication before the test.  That is why you are advised to stop this medication before the procedure.  However, since your test was negative,I would leave it at that and accept the result unless your doctor still thinks you have H pylori.  I had a the stool test and it was negative although I still had stomach pain, constipation and nausea.  However my symptoms were correctly disgnosed as IBS in the end.

7

If you are in UK you can get private stool tests for h pylori and they are cheap (£20) and reliable. But again you should avoid ppi for 2 weeks prior to the test as it can affect results.

Worth considering if your doc refuses to do a stool sample.

The endoscopy CLO and tissue test for h pylori is pretty accurate also but suppose having a stool test to be sure isn't a big ask

8

Hi Pippa, thank you so much for your answer. It really helps and I appreciate it. Having people who really care because they've gone through the same is heartwarming. You're right, I should trust my doctor. And by the way I was also tested for this 4 years ago and also negative. Maybe I should leave it at that. I am consistently hpylori free.

9

That's good news if your tests have been negative before.  What stomach problems do you have and has your doctor suggested any other possibilities?

10

Usually a routine stool test (O&P, or C&S) does not include H.pylori.

H.pylori does not live in the 'stool' containing guts, is not an intestine pathogen culprit, hence cannot be cultured from stool, BUT its dead antigen (body parts if you wish) is still excreted, are not gone by the time getting out with stool, even being dead.

So, yes, H.pylori can be very well tested in stool via a certain antigen test, 

but no, it is not in the routine panel of stool pathology

 (Please get a printed copy of your stool result and have a look)

As for all antigen and antibody tests in medicine, there is hardly anything 100% in specifity and sensitivity. That is really asked much.

The H.pylori testing, be it stool, breath, biopsies, blood are really pretty good tests compared to many other pathogens, but not 100%  still.

(breath and stool tests coming pretty close to it if no PPI was taken 2 weeks prior.)

Having taken PPI doesn't make the test 'gaga', but it lowers the sensitivity, e.g. biopsies (sample of tissue during endoscopy) for quick urease test are lowered from ca 92% sensitivity to 75% under PPI, depends what study you read about re exact numbers, but it is lower so or so. You still get correct positives, but not as many.

The blood H.pylori test as a huge disadvantage:

it doesn't say, if the infection was going on right now or passed since the antibody, the immune response is tested only. (in H.pylori only IgG is sensitive enough in blood to be tested for ... IgM would say more about current infection, but the test is so bad in sensitivity, that it must be abandoned).

If H.pylori IgG in blood was positive, you have or have had or had a H.pylori infection. If negative you might be in the diagnostic window and false neg just developing H.pylori IgG or be really negative. So....blood test is good, but one needs to know how to interpret it and when to use it.

The breath test and biopsy look at urease activity of H.pylori, a metabolite of h.pylori, so only live bacteria can do this.

Biopsies also look via staining of the physical presence of bacteria. Of course that can go undetected by a human eye (they are smaller than a nuclei of a cell and if only one in once microscopic slice, it is impossible to be detected) or be taken from a part in stomach, where no H.pylori was living in the first place.

It's a random sample.

In your case, I would look at the stool test result and if no H.pylori was tested for,

I would ask for a Carbon urea breath test (CUBT) and all shall be pretty clear.

Best wishes!