The Helicobacter pylori stool antigen test (HpSA test) can be employed to test for eradication by as soon as two weeks following completion of the therapeutic course. And, some have advocated its use as a screening diagnosis test. In the absence of diarrhea or unusually rapid bowel transit times (which may dilute the antigen levels below the level of detectibility), this is a reasonable way to attempt to document the diagnosis when an EGD-obtained gastric biopsy looks like H. p. gastritis but organisms can't be demonstrated by special stains or IHC stains. About 1-10 grams (1 to several teaspoons full) of stool should be obtained and immediately refrigerated in office or home and gotten refrigerated to the lab which then needs to freeze the specimen for shipment cold-packed to Specialty Lab or Quest Lab.

References:

1. Odaka T, et. al., The American J. of Gastroenterology 97(3):?. 2002.

(posted 2003; latest addition 20 October 2004)