Successful isolation of Helicobacter pylori after prolonged incubation: A case report of prolonged incubation for H. pylori

• Main Authors: Babić Tatjana, Miljković-Selimović Biljana, Kocić Branislava, Nagorni A., Ristić Ljiljana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Belgrade, University of Novi Sad 2012-01-01
• Series: Archives of Biological Sciences
• Subjects: Helicobacter pylori; culture; diagnosis
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-4664/2012/0354-46641204297B.pdf

The culture of Helicobacter pylori from a gastric biopsy is the “gold standard” in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. However, the primary isolation of H. pylori from gastric biopsies is rather demanding. The duration of incubation for the isolation of H. pylori has been recommended to be five to seven days: in the present case, we found that a prolonged incubation period allowed the successful isolation of H. pylori from a patient with ulcus ventriculi. Biopsies were placed directly into transport medium and processed for culture within two hours. On day 14, one suspected H. pylori-like colony appeared on one of the plates. The isolate was confirmed to be H. pylori based on its typical colony morphology, negative Gram stain, and positive urease, catalase and oxidase tests. The isolate, requiring 14 days recovery, later exhibited the normal growth characteristics of H. pylori strains, indicating its unusually long incubation requirement was a temporary predicament.