Posted on February 11, 2010 by Scott Weese

Helicobacter Testing For Horses

I've had a run of questions about testing for Helicobacter in horses with gastric (i.e. stomach) ulcers. Helicobacter pylori is unquestionably an important problem and clear cause of gastric ulcers in people. However, people aren't horses. The human stomach differs greatly from the equine stomach, and gastric ulcers in people are much different than gastric ulcers in horses. There is no (I repeat, NO) evidence that Helicobacter is a cause of ulcers in horses. Despite this some unscrupulous molecular diagnostic companies offer unvalidated tests for Helicobacter in horses, for reasons that make absolutely no sense.

Don't waste your money on Helicobacter testing if your horse has ulcers. Spend it on treatment and management changes to reduce the risks of ulcers recurring.

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