The stool antigen test (SAT) represents an attractive alternative for detection of Helicobacter pylori. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of a new SAT, the automated LIAISON® Meridian H. pylori SA based on monoclonal antibodies, compared to the defined gold standard 13C-urea breath test (UBT). This prospective multicentre study (nine Spanish centres) enrolled patients ≥18 years of age with clinical indication to perform UBT for the initial diagnosis and for confirmation of bacterial eradication. Two UBT methods were used: mass spectrometry (MS) including citric acid (CA) or infrared spectrophotometry (IRS) without CA. Overall, 307 patients (145 naïve, 162 with confirmation of eradication) were analysed. Using recommended cut-off values (negative SAT < 0.90, positive ≥ 1.10) the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 67%, 97%, 86%, 92% and 91%, respectively, obtaining an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.85. Twenty-eight patients, including seven false positives and 21 false negatives, presented a discordant result between SAT and UBT. Among the 21 false negatives, four of six tested with MS and 11 of 15 tested with IRS presented a borderline UBT delta value. In 25 discordant samples, PCR targeting H. pylori DNA was performed to re-assess positivity and SAT accuracy was re-analysed: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and AUC were 94%, 97%, 86%, 99%, 97% and 0.96, respectively. The new LIAISON® Meridian H. pylori SA SAT showed a good accuracy for diagnosis of H. pylori infection.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; diagnosis; stool antigen test; urea breath test.