Gastrointestinal infection test kit SeraSpot®

IgAIgGHelicobacter pylori

The SeraSpot® Anti-Helicobacter-6 IgG / SeraSpot® Anti-Helicibacter-6 IgA test is an in vitro diagnostic device (spotimmunoassay, SIA) for the detection of Helicobacter-specific IgG or IgA antibodies in human serum or plasma. It can be used as screening assay as well as confirmatory assay after a positive ELISA result. General information: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a gram-negative, spiral shaped, human pathogenic bacterium which has been found in the stomachs of humans in all parts of the world. In developing countries, 70 to 90 % of the population carries H. pylori mostly already acquired before the age of 10 years. In developed countries the prevalence of infection ranges from 25 to 50 %. H. pylori infections are transmitted via the oral-oral, the faecal-oral route or iatrogenic. An animal reservoir for H. pylori aside from the human stomach has not been confirmed so far. H. pylori is characterized by a strong urease activity and some strains (type I) additionally produce toxins like VacA (vacuolating toxin) and CagA (cytotoxin-associated antigen A). Further studies have identified HcpC (Helicobacter cysteine-rich protein C) and GroEL (Chaperonin) as new independent virulence factors, whereas GroEL is more important than HcpC. These extracellular products contribute to the pathogenesis by direct damage of the gastric epithelium accompanied by a chronic inflammation with enhanced levels of inflammation mediators like interleukin 8, interleukin 1 or tumor necrosis factor alpha. Patients infected with H.