Multiple gastric biopsies were taken from 288 patients in Port Lincoln, South Australia. One biopsy was used for a CLOtest and the other three were transported to a central laboratory in Adelaide in physiological saline, Portagerm pylori transport medium or after culture on a chocolate agar plate which was placed in a Biobag. Helicobacter pylori was isolated from 18.3% of patients. There was a 95.7% concordance between culture results and the CLOtest result. Recovery rates after transport on chocolate agar, Portagerm pylori and in saline were 90.2, 90.2 and 84.3%, respectively.