Laboratory testing for halobacter pylori bacteria
The doctor might recommend the patient to undergo a laboratory test for confirming the presence of H. pylori in your gut. The standard ways to find H. pylori bacteria in the body is by using blood testing, stool testing, or a breath test. According to many medical professionals, the breath test gives the most definite result of the presence of bacteria. Some doctors also say that blood tests are mostly inaccurate in this type of testing.
For performing a breath test, the doctor asks you to drink or eat some food that contains radioactive carbon in it. If you have the infection from H. pylori bacteria, the bacteria break down the radioactive carbon and convert it into the form of carbon dioxide. After the ingestion of radioactive carbon, the doctor asks you to give your breath sample in a bag which the doctor seals right after the test. If the breath sample contains carbon dioxide, then the person might be positive for stomach ulcers due to H. pylori infection. The intake of antacids or any such medication leads to false-negative results of the H. pylori test. Keep in mind to inform your doctor if you take any kind of antacid prior to go for the testing for H. pylori bacteria. Sometimes the doctor asks you to stop using any medication similar to antacids because it meddles with the testing.