GI-Standard Microbiome Profile (GI Map Test)
$645.00Free shipping!
NutriPATH's GI-Standard Microbiome Profile is a stool test you collect at home from a single sample. It assesses bacteria, yeasts, parasites, worms and viruses, together with short chain fatty acids and markers of digestion, intestinal inflammation and gut barrier function. NutriPATH analyses the sample in its NATA-accredited laboratory in Burwood, Victoria, giving you a structured view of how your gut is functioning.
What’s Included
Your test and laboratory analysis
- Home collection kit with clear preparation and collection instructions
- Delivery Australia-wide
- Prepaid return shipping to the laboratory within Australia
- Full laboratory results report
Personalised practitioner interpretation
- Online health questionnaire covering your symptoms, history and relevant health information
- Personalised Results Review prepared by Stephen Ward, within two business days of receiving your results and questionnaire
Support before and after testing
- Help with collection and preparation questions before you test
- Four weeks of report clarification support, with replies within one business day
- Optional consultation to discuss your results in greater detail (additional fee)
GI-Standard Microbiome Profile stool test in Australia
When digestive symptoms keep coming back, a clear picture of what is happening in your gut is a practical place to start. The GI-Standard Microbiome Profile is a stool test you collect at home, and the kit ships Australia-wide. It measures the microbes in your gut and markers of how your gut is working, all from one sample analysed by NutriPATH.
At Fairfield Nutrition, your results come with a personalised written interpretation from Stephen Ward. Stephen reads your results against the online health questionnaire you complete, so the interpretation reflects your own history and symptoms. It explains your results in plain language and draws out the findings most relevant to you. Fairfield Nutrition also answers your follow-up questions and offers an optional consultation (additional fee), so you do not have to work through the report alone. The test and its interpretation provide information and are not a substitute for medical advice or diagnosis from your doctor.
Fairfield Nutrition Thoughts
When this test is a good choice
Fairfield Nutrition recommends this test when you have ongoing digestive symptoms, such as bloating, abdominal discomfort or changes in bowel habits, and want a broad view of your gut from one test. It suits you if you want to see your gut microbes together with markers of digestion, inflammation and gut barrier function, rather than one piece at a time.
The report covers a large number of markers. Stephen Ward’s written interpretation explains them in the context of your questionnaire, history and symptoms, and you have four weeks to send follow-up questions about your report.
When it may not be the right one
- Severe, sudden or worsening symptoms, bleeding from the bowel or unexplained weight loss need a doctor first, not a stool test ordered online.
- If your main question is coeliac disease, your doctor can arrange the standard blood tests.
- If you only want the microbial picture without the functional markers and short chain fatty acids, NutriPATH’s GI Basic is the narrower option.
- If you have had a colonoscopy or barium enema in the past four weeks, the laboratory recommends waiting before you test.
What It Measures
Stool macroscopy
- Stool colour, form and mucous
- Faecal occult blood
Reports the appearance of the sample and whether blood not visible to the eye is present.
GIT functional markers
- Calprotectin
- Pancreatic elastase 1
- Secretory IgA (sIgA)
- Zonulin
- Beta-glucuronidase
- Steatocrit
- a-Transglutaminase IgA
- Faecal pH
Reports markers related to digestion, fat absorption, intestinal inflammation, gut barrier function and local immune activity.
Short chain fatty acids
- Acetate, butyrate, propionate and valerate
- Total beneficial short chain fatty acids
Measures the by-products of bacterial fermentation in the gut.
Parasites and worms
- Blastocystis hominis, Dientamoeba fragilis, Giardia intestinalis, Cryptosporidium species, Entamoeba histolytica
- Hookworm, roundworm, pinworm, tapeworm and whipworm species
Reports protozoa and worms identified by their DNA.
Bacterial and viral pathogens
- Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia and Vibrio species
- C. difficile toxins A and B, and pathogenic E. coli types
- Norovirus, Rotavirus A, Adenovirus 40/41, Astrovirus, Sapovirus
Reports bacteria and viruses associated with gastrointestinal infection.
Helicobacter profile
- Helicobacter pylori and H. pylori antigen
- Eight virulence factors and three antibiotic resistance genes
Reports whether H. pylori is present and, if so, its genetic characteristics.
Opportunistic bacteria, hydrogen-utilising microbes and potential autoimmune triggers
- Bacteroides fragilis, Enterobacter cloacae complex, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species
- Desulfovibrio piger, Methanobrevibacter smithii
- Citrobacter, Klebsiella and Proteus species, Prevotella copri, Fusobacterium species
Reports organisms that can disturb microbial balance when present in higher amounts.
Mycology
- Candida albicans and other Candida species
- Geotrichum, Rhodotorula, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Reports yeasts and fungi in the gut.
Normal flora and commensal abundance
- Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species, Oxalobacter formigenes
- Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Euryarchaeota phyla
- Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio
Reports the levels of beneficial bacteria and the balance of the main bacterial groups.
Each result is reported against the laboratory’s reference range in a written report. Stephen Ward’s interpretation then places those results in the context of your own history and symptoms.
How It Works
- Order your test from Fairfield Nutrition and complete the online health questionnaire.
- Receive your kit, shipped Australia-wide with collection instructions.
- Collect your sample at home from a single bowel motion, following the kit instructions.
- Return your sample to NutriPATH using the prepaid courier packaging.
- Laboratory analysis takes an estimated 7 to 10 business days.
- Your results arrive as a full laboratory report.
Stephen Ward’s personalised written interpretation follows the report. You then have four weeks to send follow-up questions, and you can book an optional consultation (additional fee) to talk your results through.
Preparing for Your Test
Before you test
Fairfield Nutrition helps with collection and preparation questions before you start. Ask before you collect your sample, not after.
Medicines, supplements and procedures
NutriPATH’s preparation guide lists items that can affect some results. These include antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, bismuth, antacids, aspirin and NSAIDs, steroids, probiotics, digestive enzymes, betaine HCl, laxatives, activated charcoal, suppositories and enemas. The laboratory recommends four weeks between a colonoscopy or barium enema and stool testing. Do not stop or change any medicine or treatment without checking with your healthcare practitioner.
Collecting your sample
One stool sample fills three containers supplied in the kit: a plain vial and two preserved specimen tubes. Follow the kit instructions exactly for each container.
Returning your sample
Send the sample back promptly using the prepaid courier packaging. The laboratory states the specimen is stable for 13 days.
Follow the kit instructions
The kit includes full collection instructions. Where anything on this page differs from the kit, follow the kit.
What You Will Receive
At the centre of this test is a personalised written interpretation of your results from Stephen Ward. Your results are explained in plain language, read against your own history and symptoms, with the findings most relevant to you drawn out.
- Test kit with collection instructions, shipped Australia-wide: everything you need to collect your sample at home.
- Prepaid return shipping to the laboratory (within Australia): no extra cost to send your sample back.
- Full laboratory report: every result from NutriPATH, with reference ranges and the laboratory’s comments.
- Online health questionnaire: your history and symptoms, so your results are interpreted in that context.
- Personalised written interpretation from Stephen Ward: what your results mean for you, in plain language.
- Four weeks to send follow-up questions about your report: ask about anything in the report or interpretation that is unclear.
- Help with collection and preparation questions before you test: check timing, medicines and collection steps before you start.
- Optional consultation to talk your results through (additional fee): a conversation with Fairfield Nutrition if you want to go through your results in more depth.
Common Questions
What does the price include?
The price covers the test kit, prepaid return shipping to the laboratory within Australia, the full NutriPATH report, the online health questionnaire, Stephen Ward’s personalised written interpretation, four weeks to send follow-up questions and help with preparation before you test. The optional consultation to talk your results through has an additional fee.
What does the personalised interpretation cover, and who writes it?
Stephen Ward writes it. He reads your laboratory results against the health questionnaire you complete, so the interpretation reflects your history and symptoms. It explains your results in plain language and highlights the findings most relevant to you. If anything is unclear, you have four weeks to send follow-up questions.
How long do results take?
NutriPATH estimates 7 to 10 business days for analysis once the laboratory receives your sample. Laboratory turnaround times are estimates and can vary. Your personalised written interpretation follows the laboratory report. Postage time for the kit and the returned sample is in addition to the analysis time.
Do I need a referral or my own practitioner?
No. Fairfield Nutrition places the order with the laboratory, provides the written interpretation and offers an optional consultation (additional fee). You do not need to take your results anywhere else to understand them. If you choose, you can also share the report with your own doctor.
Is the laboratory accredited?
NutriPATH holds NATA accreditation (ISO 15189) and is CLIA licensed. The report shows when an individual marker falls outside the laboratory’s current scope of accreditation. Beyond that, the test uses several methods, including PCR and qPCR for microbial DNA, immunoassays for functional markers and GC-MS for short chain fatty acids.
Should I stop my medicines or supplements before testing?
Some medicines, supplements and recent bowel procedures can affect certain results, and NutriPATH’s preparation guide lists them. Do not stop or change any medicine or treatment without checking with your healthcare practitioner. Fairfield Nutrition can help with preparation questions before you collect your sample.
What if I have trouble collecting or returning my sample?
Contact Fairfield Nutrition before you collect if anything in the instructions is unclear, because help with collection questions is included. Once collected, return the sample promptly: the laboratory states the specimen is stable for 13 days. Follow the kit instructions for each of the three containers.
| Weight | 0.1 kg |
|---|---|
| Tier | Results + Report, Results, Report & Consultation |
