Molecular techniques applied to the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium implicated in various gastrointestinal pathologies, including chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. Accurate and timely diagnosis of this infection is essential for its clinical management, especially in regions with high prevalence. For this reason, molecular techniques have emerged as essential tools to detect the presence of H. pylori in a more sensitive and specific manner, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods, such as bacterial culture and serological tests. The objectives of the present study were to describe and identify the molecular techniques applied for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori, to analyze their efficacy, and to determine their impact on the management of patients with this pathology. This review article describes the main molecular techniques used, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its variants, such as real-time PCR (qPCR), multiplex PCR, as well as other innovative techniques such as CRISPR-Cas13a-based PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS), including their importance as well as their sensitivity and specificity from different studies.