Helicobacter Pylori Antigen
This stool test detects active H. pylori infection by identifying bacterial antigens. It is more accurate than blood antibody tests for confirming current infection and verifying successful treatment.
- Home collection, free from AED 300
- Physician-reviewed report
24 hours
Turnaround
Stool
Sample
What the Helicobacter Pylori Antigen test tells you
Helicobacter pylori is a spiral bacterium that lives in the mucus layer lining the stomach. Many people carry it for years without knowing; in others it causes chronic gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, and over long periods it raises the risk of certain stomach cancers. This test looks in a stool sample for antigens, meaning fragments of the bacterium itself, which are shed continuously for as long as the organism is present.
Detecting the organism rather than the body's reaction to it is the whole point, and it is what separates this test from the H. pylori antibody blood test. Antibodies stay in the blood long after an infection has been cured, so a positive antibody result cannot tell a current infection from one dealt with years ago. Stool antigen is only present while the bacterium is actually there. That makes this test suitable both for diagnosing an active infection and, importantly, for confirming that a course of eradication treatment has genuinely worked, which the antibody test cannot do.
For the result to be trustworthy, medication timing matters more here than for most tests. Antibiotics, bismuth-containing preparations and acid-suppressing proton pump inhibitors suppress the bacterium without necessarily clearing it, and can produce a falsely negative result in someone who is still infected. Your doctor will normally ask you to stop these for a defined period beforehand, and to leave an interval after finishing eradication therapy before testing for cure.
Preferred for diagnosing active H. pylori infection and confirming successful eradication after antibiotic therapy.
- Confirming active infection
Antigen appears in stool only while the bacterium is in the stomach, so a positive result reflects infection now rather than exposure at some point in the past.
- Checking eradication worked
After a course of treatment this test can confirm the organism has actually gone, which a blood antibody test cannot do.
- Investigating indigestion
In people with persistent dyspepsia or a history of ulcer, finding and treating H. pylori often resolves the underlying problem.
- No endoscopy required
It gives information about the organism itself from a sample you collect at home, without the discomfort of a gastroscopy.
Reasons your doctor may request the Helicobacter Pylori Antigen test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
Persistent indigestion
- Persistent indigestion, upper abdominal burning or fullness, particularly when it keeps returning.
Ulcers & unexplained anaemia
- A current or previous stomach or duodenal ulcer.
- Unexplained iron deficiency anaemia where the stomach is a possible source.
After treatment, family risk & before painkillers
- Confirmation of cure after completing a course of eradication antibiotics, at the interval your doctor advises.
- A close family member diagnosed with stomach cancer, when your doctor is assessing your own risk.
- Before starting long-term anti-inflammatory painkillers or aspirin in someone at higher risk of ulcer.
This test detects Helicobacter pylori antigen in a stool sample, so it reflects infection that is present now and is reported as "Detected" or "Not Detected". "Detected" means active infection of the stomach lining, infection persisting after an eradication course that did not fully work, reinfection after a previously successful course, or testing too soon after treatment, when fragments of dead organism may still be shed. "Not Detected" means no antigen was found and carries no separate significance of its own; it can also be falsely negative if you were taking a proton pump inhibitor, bismuth or antibiotics, which suppress the bacterium without eradicating it. Stopping those medicines for the period your doctor specifies is what makes a negative result trustworthy. Your doctor interprets it with your symptoms, your treatment history and, where needed, endoscopy.
Medically reviewed by Dr Nirupama Sabhapathy
This test is reported descriptively rather than on a numeric scale: each finding below explains what your report may say.
The target was not detected: a negative result.
The target was detected: a positive result. Please consult your physician.
Ranges are a guide: your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.
What a higher result can point to
- Active infection of the stomach lining with Helicobacter pylori.
- Infection persisting after eradication treatment that did not fully work, often because of antibiotic resistance.
- Reinfection after a previously successful course, which is uncommon but does happen.
- Testing too soon after finishing treatment, when fragments of dead organism may still be shed.
These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests: your doctor decides what it means for you.
What this test cannot tell you
- A negative result obtained while taking a proton pump inhibitor, bismuth or antibiotics may be falsely negative, because these suppress the bacterium without eradicating it.
- The test shows that the organism is present but says nothing about whether it has caused gastritis, an ulcer or any other damage, which needs endoscopy to establish.
- Testing too soon after finishing treatment can give a positive result from residual antigen rather than from living infection.
- A negative result means only that no antigen was detected and carries no separate significance of its own.
Collecting your sample safely
- No needle is involved, and collecting the sample carries no physical risk.
- Wash your hands well with soap and water afterwards, since stool can carry infection.
- Keep the sample clear of urine and toilet water, close the container firmly and keep it cool until it is collected.
- 1This test detects the bacterium itself, so it reflects infection that is present now.
- 2Unlike the antibody blood test, it can be used to confirm that treatment has worked.
- 3Acid-suppressing medicines, bismuth and antibiotics must be stopped for the period your doctor specifies, or the result may be falsely negative.
- 4A positive result does not tell you whether an ulcer is present.
- 5Treatment decisions, including which antibiotics to use, belong to your doctor.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Helicobacter Pylori Antigen test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→Antibodies persist in the blood long after the infection has been cleared, so a positive antibody result cannot distinguish a current infection from a past one. The stool antigen test detects the bacterium itself and turns negative once it is gone, which is what you need both for diagnosis and for confirming cure.
It genuinely matters. Proton pump inhibitors reduce the number of bacteria in the stomach without eliminating them, and the antigen shed can fall below what the test picks up. Testing while on them risks a negative result in someone who is still infected. Ask your doctor before stopping any prescribed medicine.
Not immediately. Fragments of dead organism can still be shed for a while after antibiotics, which risks a positive result that no longer reflects living infection. Your doctor will tell you what interval to leave after your last dose.
No. Many people carry H. pylori without ulcers or symptoms. The test tells you the bacterium is there. Whether it has caused gastritis or an ulcer is a separate question that may need endoscopy, and your doctor decides whether that is warranted.
It looks for H. pylori antigens, fragments of the bacterium itself, in a stool sample and reports them as Detected or Not detected. The organism sheds these fragments for as long as it lives in the stomach lining, so a detected result points to a current infection rather than a past one.
It is the test to use when you need to know whether H. pylori is active now: for persistent indigestion or upper abdominal burning, a current or past ulcer, or unexplained iron deficiency anaemia. It is also the way to confirm that eradication antibiotics have worked, and may be advised before a long course of aspirin or anti-inflammatory painkillers if your ulcer risk is higher.
No, fasting is not required for the H. pylori Stool Antigen test, so you can eat and drink normally beforehand.
The H. pylori Stool Antigen test uses a stool sample that you collect yourself in the container provided: no needle is involved.
Results for the H. pylori Stool Antigen test are typically ready within 24 hours. You will receive a secure digital report, and your Smart Report highlights anything outside the normal range.
The H. pylori Stool Antigen test is AED 140, which includes a physician-reviewed report. Home collection is free when your order comes to AED 300 or more or includes a package; below that, an AED 100 home collection fee applies (AED 50 for a lab walk-in). You can also build a custom panel and pay only for the markers you choose.
Yes. A DHA-licensed phlebotomist brings the container to your home or office anywhere in Dubai, 7 days a week, and either waits while you collect the sample or leaves it and comes back later to pick it up. Collection is free for orders of AED 300 or more, or any order with a package; otherwise an AED 100 home collection fee applies. See how it works.
It is commonly chosen by all ages. If you are not sure it is right for you, our care team is happy to advise.
Add the H. pylori Stool Antigen test to your cart and complete the short booking wizard, choosing home collection or a lab visit. Guest checkout lets you book without creating an account.
Yes. It is processed at our EIAC-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189:2022) under DHA license 0046381 and verified by board-certified pathologists.
Every report includes reference ranges and plain-language notes. If you have questions, our care team can arrange a clinician review: just get in touch.
Absolutely. Add it to a curated health package or bundle it with any of our 160+ biomarkers, often from a single sample in one visit.