Stomach trouble that won't settle?
A molecular gastrointestinal panel that checks one stool swab for 26 pathogens — 13 bacterial and 13 viral and parasitic — including C. difficile, norovirus and Giardia.
- $199 flat · results in 24–48 hours
- 26 pathogens: 13 bacterial, 13 viral & parasitic
- No appointment, no insurance claim
Panel
26 pathogens
Sample
Stool swab
Results
24–48 hours at the lab
Price
$199 flat
What we test for
26 pathogens · bacteria, viruses & parasites.
Every target is detected and quantified with real-time PCR, so organisms that are slow-growing or difficult to culture still show up. Antibiotic resistance gene detection is available as an option with the GI panel.
Clostridioides difficile (toxin A / B)
The most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea — detected directly, including the toxin genes that matter for treatment.
13 bacterial targets
Campylobacter (C. coli, C. jejuni, C. upsaliensis), E. coli O157, enteroaggregative (EAEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC) and enterotoxigenic (ETEC) E. coli, Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) stx1/stx2, Salmonella, Shigella / EIEC, Listeria monocytogenes, Plesiomonas shigelloides, Vibrio (V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus) and Yersinia enterocolitica.
7 viral targets
Norovirus GI and GII, rotavirus A, B and C, sapovirus (GI.1, GI.2, GII.1, GII.3, GII.5, GII.8, GIV.1, GV) and astrovirus, plus adenovirus F40/41.
5 parasitic targets
Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia — parasites a standard culture will not find.
The science
Identical symptoms, very different organisms.
Infectious diarrhea is caused by a dozen-plus organisms that no symptom can reliably tell apart — bacteria such as Campylobacter and Shiga-toxin E. coli, viruses such as norovirus and rotavirus, and parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Routine stool culture grows only bacteria and takes days; ova-and-parasite exams have low sensitivity. Multiplex PCR reads bacterial, viral and parasitic DNA directly from one swab and detects toxin genes such as C. difficile toxin A/B that determine treatment.
~70%
of C. difficile infections in the US occur in people who recently took antibiotics — molecular toxin-gene detection is the recommended diagnostic approach.
Source: CDC C. difficile surveillance, IDSA/SHEA guidance
~50%
of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide are caused by norovirus, the single most common foodborne illness organism.
Source: CDC norovirus estimates
Far lower
sensitivity for parasites and fastidious bacteria in conventional stool work-ups compared with multiplex PCR, which detects non-culturable organisms directly.
Source: Journal of Clinical Microbiology comparison studies
Tens of thousands
US cases of giardiasis are reported each year, and travelers' diarrhea affects an estimated 30–70% of visitors to high-risk regions depending on destination and season.
Source: CDC Yellow Book / surveillance data
How often does testing make sense?
Test when diarrhea or vomiting has lasted more than a few days, when symptoms follow travel, camping or questionable food, or when they begin after a course of antibiotics. A multiplex panel is also the efficient choice when several people in a household or workplace are sick at once, because one swab identifies outbreak organisms by name. Re-test only if symptoms persist after treatment for a confirmed organism.
References
- McDonald LC, Gerding DN, Johnson S, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection in adults and children: 2017 update by the IDSA and SHEA. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2018;66(7):e1–e48.
- CDC. C. difficile: clinical overview and surveillance data.
- CDC. Norovirus — clinical overview and outbreak statistics.
- Buss SN, Leber A, Chapin K, et al. Multicenter evaluation of the BioFire FilmArray gastrointestinal panel for etiologic diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2015;53(3):915–925.
From the lab
Test specifications at a glance
How each molecular panel runs at our CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory in Germantown, Maryland.
Urinary Tract Infection Panel
- Method
- Quantitative real-time PCR for pathogen detection, quantification, and resistance gene identification
- Preferred specimen
- Urine
- Panel coverage
- 14 urinary tract pathogens plus 9 antibiotic resistance markers
- Turnaround
- 24 hours (typical)
Designed to detect organisms that are slow-growing or difficult to culture.
Vaginal Microbiota Panel
- Method
- Quantitative real-time PCR for pathogen detection, quantification, and resistance gene identification
- Preferred specimen
- Vaginal swab
- Panel coverage
- 37 molecular pathogens associated with bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections, vaginitis, and STIs
- Turnaround
- 24 hours (typical)
- Resistance genes
- Available as an option
Reports protective and disruptive flora alike — Lactobacillus species, Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Mobiluncus, and Megasphaera — to place your microbiome in context.
STI Panel
- Method
- Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for highly sensitive pathogen detection and quantification
- Preferred specimen
- Vaginal swab or urine
- Panel coverage
- 14 clinically relevant bacterial and viral pathogens
- Turnaround
- 24 hours (typical)
- Resistance genes
- Available as an option
Designed for both male and female patients. HPV types 16, 18, and 45 are reported for women over 31.
Wound Infection Panel
- Method
- Quantitative real-time PCR for pathogen detection, quantification, and resistance gene identification
- Preferred specimen
- Wound swab or skin swab
- Panel coverage
- 15 molecular pathogens plus 9 antibiotic resistance markers
- Turnaround
- 24 hours (typical)
Designed to detect organisms that are slow-growing or difficult to culture.
Nail Infection Panel
- Method
- Quantitative real-time PCR for pathogen detection, quantification, and resistance gene identification
- Preferred specimen
- Nail clipping or shavings
- Panel coverage
- 24 molecular pathogens across bacteria, fungi, and parasites
- Turnaround
- 24 hours (typical)
- Resistance genes
- Available as an option
Covers dermatophytes (Trichophyton, Microsporum, Epidermophyton), Candida species, molds such as Aspergillus and Fusarium, plus bacteria and the scabies mite (Sarcoptes scabiei).
Respiratory Pathogen Panel
- Method
- Quantitative real-time PCR for pathogen detection, quantification, and resistance gene identification
- Preferred specimen
- Nasal swab
- Panel coverage
- 32 molecular pathogens — 8 bacterial and 24 viral
- Turnaround
- 24 hours (typical)
- Resistance genes
- Available as an option
Covers influenza A and B, RSV A and B, four common human coronaviruses, parainfluenza 1–3, human metapneumovirus, and more.
Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel
- Method
- Quantitative real-time PCR for pathogen detection, quantification, and resistance gene identification
- Preferred specimen
- Stool swab
- Panel coverage
- 26 molecular pathogens — 13 bacterial and 13 viral and protozoal
- Turnaround
- 24 hours (typical)
- Resistance genes
- Available as an option
Includes C. difficile toxin A/B, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (stx1/stx2), Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, norovirus GI/GII, and Giardia.
Who this is for
Diarrhea that outlasts a normal stomach bug deserves a specific answer.
Diarrhea that will not settle
Cramping, loose stools or nausea that has lasted more than a few days.
After travel or a questionable meal
Symptoms that started after a trip, a camping weekend or restaurant food.
After a course of antibiotics
New diarrhea following treatment — C. difficile is one of the 26 targets.
The whole household is sick
Norovirus and other outbreak organisms are identified by name.
Should you test now?
Diarrhea, cramping or nausea that has lasted more than a few days.
Symptoms after travel, a camping trip or a questionable meal.
Symptoms that started after a course of antibiotics.
Several people at home or work with the same symptoms.
A clinician asked you to get a stool panel.
You want results without waiting for an appointment.
If any of these sound familiar, testing is the fastest way to get an answer.
Before you order
Total price
$199
One-time flat price, paid directly to the lab. No separate fee for the kit, return shipping or the healthcare provider order.
What's included
Kit to report
Collection kit and instructions, a prepaid FedEx overnight return label, the healthcare provider order, real-time PCR analysis in our lab and a secure online report.
Who orders the test
A licensed healthcare provider
A licensed healthcare provider in our network reviews your request and places the order during checkout, at no extra cost. No referral needed.
When to expect results
24–48 hours
After the lab receives your sample. Samples dropped off before 11am are processed the same day.
Questions people actually ask
Get my test — $199.
Kits ship to your door, or drop your sample off at our Maryland lab. Same-day processing for samples dropped off before 11am.