A number of methods are currently available for the detection of Helicobacter pylori, including serology, culture, histology, and isotope breath tests. All have relative advantages and disadvantages of sensitivity, specificity, convenience, expense, and immediacy. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was an obvious choice of test once the technique became available to many laboratories. PCR tests for various bacteria, including H. pylori, are available on a wide range of specimens, including cultures and direct clinical samples. The ideal PCR test for H. pylori would be highly sensitive and specific, cheap if performed in bulk, and could produce results much faster than would be possible with culture.