Conventional cleaning and disinfection techniques eliminate the risk of endoscopic transmission of Helicobacter pylori.

Abstract

Endoscopes are frequently contaminated with H. pylori after endoscopy in H. pylori-infected patients, but conventional cleaning and disinfection techniques are highly effective in eliminating H. pylori. When appropriate negative control samples are obtained from the endoscope, PCR of endoscopic gastric aspirates appears to be a sensitive test that can detect clinically relevant H. pylori infection that is missed when only a rapid urease test is used.