The acidity of the stomach provides a major barrier to excessive growth of microorganisms. The presence of certain bacteria (for example, Helicobacter pylori) or other microorganisms (such as Giardia) is abnormal.
What abnormal results mean:
The culture obtained from a gastric biopsy can detect certain infection-causing microorganisms, such as Helicobacter pylori, which plays a role in ulcer disease.
Review Date: 3/6/2006
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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