PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - R A Veenendaal
AU  - A T Lichtendahl-Bernards
AU  - A S Peña
AU  - H P Endtz
AU  - C P van Boven
AU  - C B Lamers
TI  - Effect of transport medium and transportation time on culture of Helicobacter pylori from gastric biopsy specimens.
AID  - 10.1136/jcp.46.6.561
DP  - 1993 Jun 01
TA  - Journal of Clinical Pathology
PG  - 561--563
VI  - 46
IP  - 6
4099  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/46/6/561.short
4100  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/46/6/561.full
SO  - J Clin Pathol1993 Jun 01; 46
AB  - To determine whether transportation time and use of a low budget transport medium (NaCl 0.9%) would influence culture of Helicobacter pylori from gastric biopsy specimens, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed on 42 patients. The specimens were cultured and examined histologically, and H pylori antibodies were determined using an ELISA technique. Patients were regarded as H pylori positive when culture was positive or when histology or IgG anti-H pylori antibodies indicated H pylori infection. Rapid transportation of gastric biopsy specimens in NaCl 0.9%, at room temperature resulted in a high diagnostic yield (23 H pylori positive cultures in 26 patients with H pylori infection). A 24 hour delay in plating gastric biopsy specimens after transportation in NaCl 0.9%, at room temperature, did not seriously affect results (22 instead of 23 H pylori positive cultures). The culture results after transportation in Cairy-Blair medium were comparable with those after transportation in NaCl 0.9%, but because of availability, low cost, and ease of handling in the endoscopy department, NaCl 0.9% was preferred as transport medium. This study shows that for culture of H pylori from gastric biopsy specimens sterile saline is an adequate medium, and that transportation can be delayed for 24 hours without a significant loss of diagnostic yield.