Rapid detection of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of Helicobacter pylori that confers resistance to clarithromycin treatment to the bacterium

We developed a new method capable of detecting point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of Helicobacter pylori using a LightCycler. Our method can detect a mutation in this gene in less than 1 h and can process many samples at once, thereby contributing to the selection of patients suitable for clarithromycin-based therapy.