Gut flora & Inflammation package
Original price was: € 226,00.€ 200,00Current price is: € 200,00.
This package examines the gut flora. The intestine contains bacteria that together weigh approximately one and a half kilograms. Specific methods are used to examine the numbers of different bacterial groups. A decrease in bacterial numbers can cause symptoms and reduced resistance.
Four important markers of inflammation in the intestine are Calprotectin, β-Defensin-2, Lactoferrin and Transferrin
The GUT FLORA & INFLAMMATION package consists of the modules:
Original price was: € 226,00.€ 200,00Current price is: € 200,00.
Description
Combined stool testing
Gut flora & Inflammation – gut flora testing with four inflammation markers
Do you have persistent or recurrent intestinal complaints and want to know not only whether there are signs of inflammatory activity, but also what other characteristics of the intestinal environment look like? The Gut flora & Inflammation package combines testing of digestion, selected intestinal bacteria, yeasts and fungi with four additional markers.
This allows possible inflammatory signals, local immune activity, and indications of blood components to be assessed alongside other laboratory findings from the same stool test. The test does not provide a diagnosis on its own.
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When is this test suitable?
For people with recurrent intestinal complaints who want to assess several areas together.
- You regularly experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, or a changing bowel pattern.
- You want to investigate whether there are signs of inflammatory activity and at the same time obtain information about digestion and selected gut flora.
- Your symptoms persist or return and you want a broader assessment than a single inflammation marker provides.
- You previously had abnormal gut flora or inflammation values, for example in an IBS package, and want to have several parameters measured again.
- You want to see whether previously abnormal laboratory values have changed after treatment, dietary changes, or another intervention.
Important: these symptoms can have many different causes. This test does not provide a diagnosis and cannot independently determine whether you have, for example, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or another intestinal condition. The combination can, however, provide useful leads for further assessment.
What do we test?
Digestive values, selected gut flora, culturable yeasts and fungi, and four additional markers.
Digestive parameters
Fat, pH, starch, plant fibers, stool color, and consistency.
Gut flora
Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli, Enterococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.
Yeasts and fungi
Living, culturable yeasts and fungal growth, including Candidaspecies when they can be identified sufficiently.
Calprotectin
A marker that provides information about inflammatory activity in the gastrointestinal tract, especially the intestine.
Beta-defensin-2
An additional marker of activation of the innate immune defense of the intestinal mucosa.
Lactoferrin
A marker that can increase when inflammatory cells are active in the gastrointestinal tract.
Transferrin
A test that can provide additional information about the presence of blood components in stool.
The four markers do not all measure the same thing. Calprotectin and lactoferrin mainly reflect inflammatory activity, beta-defensin-2 local immune activation, and transferrin possible blood components in the sample.
What can the results tell you?
The main added value lies in assessing inflammation markers together with other stool values.
The inflammation markers can show whether there are laboratory indications of inflammatory activity, immune activation, or possible blood loss. At the same time, digestion, selected intestinal bacteria, and yeasts and fungi are assessed. This provides a broader laboratory picture than ordering inflammation markers alone.
A clear elevation of an inflammation marker may, for example, be a reason to further assess inflammation, infection, medication use, or other causes. If the inflammation markers are not abnormal but other components are, a different direction of investigation may be more relevant.
This package can also be used for targeted follow-up testing: previously abnormal values can be measured again to assess whether they have changed.
An abnormal pattern is not a diagnosis. Even when laboratory values change on repeat testing, this does not automatically prove that a treatment caused the change or that a condition has disappeared.
Explanation of the values tested
What each component measures and which limitations are important when interpreting the results.
Digestive parameters
We assess fat, pH, starch, plant fibers, color, and consistency. Abnormalities may indicate that nutrients are being processed differently or that the intestinal environment has changed.
The result does not automatically point to one cause; the values are assessed together with your symptoms and other test results.
Gut flora
We examine Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli, Enterococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. The measured counts are compared with the reference values used.
This is a selected part of the gut flora and not a complete microbiome analysis. Abnormalities do not prove that the gut flora is causing your symptoms.
Yeasts and fungi
A culture is used to look for living, culturable yeasts and fungal growth in the stool. Candida can also occur in the intestine without infection.
A higher amount of culturable yeasts therefore does not automatically mean that a yeast is causing the symptoms. Repeating the same test can show changes in the amount.
Calprotectin
Calprotectin is mainly released by certain white blood cells. When there is inflammatory activity in the intestine, the amount in stool can increase.
An elevated value can have various causes, such as an intestinal infection, chronic intestinal inflammation, or the effect of certain medications. The result does not provide a diagnosis on its own.
Beta-defensin-2
Beta-defensin-2 is a naturally occurring immune substance produced, among other places, by the intestinal mucosa. An elevated value may be consistent with activation of the local immune response.
The marker is supplementary and cannot reliably indicate where in the intestine inflammation is located or what the cause is.
Lactoferrin
Lactoferrin is found, among other places, in certain white blood cells and can increase when inflammatory cells are active in the gastrointestinal tract.
A positive or elevated result is not specific to one condition and should be assessed together with calprotectin, your symptoms, and any other investigations.
Transferrin
Transferrin is a protein found in blood. Detectable transferrin in stool may indicate the presence of blood components in the sample.
The result does not show where any blood loss originates. If you have visible blood or black, tarry stools, medical assessment is important.
Why combine gut flora and inflammation markers?
Different tests highlight different aspects of the intestinal environment.
Intestinal complaints can have different causes, and the same symptom can occur in several processes. An inflammation marker alone says little about digestion or the bacterial groups tested; gut flora testing alone does not show whether there are also signs of inflammatory activity.
By combining these components, different perspectives are considered side by side: food processing, selected gut flora, culturable yeasts, inflammatory activity, immune activation, and a possible indication of blood loss.
This can help formulate a more targeted follow-up question. More tests do not automatically lead to a diagnosis.
How does the test work?
From collecting the sample at home to receiving a report with the individual results.
- You order the Gut flora & Inflammation package and receive the required collection materials with instructions.
- You collect the required stool material at home according to the instructions provided.
- You send the material to the laboratory according to the instructions.
- The laboratory examines the digestive parameters, gut flora, yeasts and fungi, and the four additional markers.
- You receive a report with the individual results and the corresponding assessment.
Results and next steps
Assess the values in relation to your symptoms, medication, and any previous investigations.
With this package, it is important not to assess a single abnormal value in isolation. The significance depends on the pattern of results, the degree or nature of abnormalities, your symptoms, medication use, and previous investigations.
An elevated inflammation marker may be a reason to discuss with your treating physician whether standard additional testing is needed. If the same values were abnormal before, targeted repeat testing can help assess changes over time.
The test does not determine what treatment is required.
When medical assessment takes priority: if you have blood in the stool, black tarry stools, unexplained weight loss, anemia, fever, nighttime diarrhea, severe pain, or rapidly worsening symptoms, standard medical assessment is important. Contact your primary care doctor or out-of-hours medical service.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to questions about the four markers, combining them with gut flora testing, and repeat testing.
The four markers provide information from different perspectives, but they do not automatically explain why you have symptoms. Testing of digestion, selected intestinal bacteria, and yeasts and fungi provides additional context. This can make it clearer which findings deserve attention in the next step.
No. Calprotectin in particular can provide important indications of inflammatory activity, but none of the tests in this package can independently diagnose or rule out Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. If there is a medical suspicion, standard testing through a doctor is required.
The markers do not measure exactly the same thing. Calprotectin and lactoferrin mainly provide information about inflammatory activity, beta-defensin-2 about local immune activation, and transferrin about possible blood components in stool. There is no simple combined result that can diagnose one condition.
Yes. If one or more parameters in this package were abnormal in earlier testing, for example in a more comprehensive IBS package, they can be measured again. This allows you to see whether the measured values have changed. The appropriate time for repeat testing depends on the parameter, the reason for testing, and any treatment.
No. A normal result makes marked inflammatory activity less likely in some conditions, but it does not rule out every type or location of intestinal inflammation. With persistent symptoms or warning signs, further medical testing may still be necessary.
Yes. Anti-inflammatory painkillers, among other medications, can affect calprotectin. Mention relevant medication use when the results are assessed and do not change prescribed medication on your own initiative.
No. The laboratory measures a selected number of bacterial groups, supplemented by testing for yeasts and fungi. This is not a complete analysis of all microorganisms in the intestine.
Questions about this test?
Help choosing between individual inflammation markers and the broader Gut flora & Inflammation package.
Are you unsure whether targeted inflammation testing is sufficient or whether the broader Gut flora & Inflammation package better fits your question? Contact Darmklachten.nl. We are happy to help you choose an appropriate test.
Order the Gut flora & Inflammation package
Digestion, selected gut flora, yeasts, and four additional markers in one test.
Would you like gut flora, digestion, and four inflammation markers assessed together?
This package brings multiple laboratory findings together. You can order the Gut flora & Inflammation package at the top of this page.
