Table 3.

Current techniques for detecting H. pylori antibiotic resistance

Name of the method	Basis for method	Sensitivity	Specificity	Advantages of the method	Disadvantages of the method
Agar Dilution Method	Based on phenotypic methods failure of second‐line therapies	–	–	Adaptable for the testing of large numbers of strains	Technically demanding Time consuming
Epsilometer Test (E‐ test) Method184	Based on phenotypic methods	45%	98%	Adaptable for testing of small numbers of strains Less technically demanding	Time consuming
PCR‐based methods185	Based on detection of point mutations	98%	92%	High‐sensitivity Rapid detection of microorganisms	Affected by DNA contamination
FISH‐Based Method186	Fluorescent‐labelled DNA probes to identify DNA sequences on chromosomes	97%	94%	Time‐saving Accurate Cost‐effective	Degradation of the probe by proteases Inability to penetrate the bacterial cell wall (fresh tissue)
PNA‐FISH‐Based Method189	Fluorescently‐labelled PNA probes to identify DNA sequences on chromosomes	80%	93.8%	Ability to penetrate the bacterial cell wall Resistant to nucleases and proteases	Not widely available for standardisation
Line Probe Test192, 193	DNA‐based test to identify multiple variants simultaneously. Commercialised as kits for laboratories.	100%	86.2%	Fast, standardised test that examines both clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones resistance	Not available in the USA