Comparable Results of Helicobacter pylori Antibiotic Resistance Testing of Stools vs Gastric Biopsies Using Next-Generation Sequencing

Helicobacter pylori cure rates have declined worldwide, making pretreatment susceptibility testing increasingly important.1–3 Many US diagnostic laboratories now offer culture and susceptibility testing. In addition, molecular-based testing using next-generation sequencing (NGS) is now available in the United States.4 NGS provides susceptibility profiling based on detection of mutations in the H pylori genome associated with phenotypic resistance.5 Advantages of NGS include detecting resistance to multiple antibiotics simultaneously and rapidly4 and providing results comparable with culture-based methods using either fresh or formalin-fixed gastric biopsies.