Pathogens Panel (stool)
DNA qPCR Stool Analysis
The Pathogens Panel uses quantitative PCR technology to evaluate pathogenic organisms in stool. The Pathogens Profile reports on a wide array of pathogens, including bacterial gut pathogens, Norovirus, Adenovirus, parasitic pathogens, and H. pylori and its virulence factors.
Practitioners can use this panel when looking for the underlying cause of gut-related illnesses or as a follow-up to the GI-MAP® test to evaluate treatment success.
Documents
Explore our Pathogens Panel (stool) educational resources. Learn about the markers on the test and how they impact overall health so you can better interpret results.
Clinical Information
It is estimated that there are over 200 million cases of Gastrointestinal disease each year in the United States1. Acute or chronic diarrhea caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic pathogen present in the GI tract, accounts for a significant proportion of the cases2. Many of these cases often go undiagnosed or untreated.
The Pathogens Panel measures pathogenic organisms that are known to cause hospital-acquired infections (HAI) (such as C. difficile or norovirus), foodborne illnesses (such as E. coli or Salmonella), and common causes of diarrhea (such as Campylobacter, Shigella, and rotavirus A). This panel measures viral causes of gastroenteritis unavailable by other common stool tests, as well as parasites such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Entamoeba histolytica. Helicobacter pylori and its virulence factors are also included.
For Individuals With Symptoms Of:
- Chronic and Acute Gastroenteritis
- IBD-Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Suspected H. Pylori Infection
- Recreational Water Illness
- Intestinal Inflammation
- Bacterial Infections
- Parasitic Infections
- Viral Infections
Methodology:
- Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR), is a molecular DNA laboratory technique. PCR amplifies the gene targets and can generate thousands to millions of copies of a single target DNA sequence. This increases the sensitivity and specificity of the test greatly.
- PCR, specifically qPCR, can detect slow-growing or difficult-to-culture microorganisms.
Order Pathogens Panel (stool)
The Pathogens Panel includes pathogens (bacterial, parasitic, and viral) commonly known to cause intestinal gastroenteritis. It's important to note that not all individuals with positive findings for pathogens will present with symptoms. Many factors, including the health of the individual, the transient nature of some pathogens, and the presence and expression of virulence factors all contribute to an individual's symptoms.
REFERENCES
- Hartman KG, Bortner JD, Falk GW, Ginsberg GG, Jhala N, Yu J, Martin MG, Rustgi AK, Lynch JP. Modeling human gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases using micro physiological culture systems. Exp Bio Med (2014); 239:1108-1123[1]
- Platts-Mills JA, Liu J, Houpt ER. New concepts in diagnostics for infectious diarrhea Nature (2013); 6(5):876-885
- Yang S, Rothman RE (2004) PCR-based diagnostics for infectious diseases: uses, limitations, and future applications in acute-care settings. Lancet Infect Dis 4(6): 337–348
Services provided are for laboratory testing only. No charge is incurred for ordering collection kits.