Gut flora package
Original price was: € 203,00.€ 127,00Current price is: € 127,00.
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.
The package GUT FLORA consists of the modules:
Original price was: € 203,00.€ 127,00Current price is: € 127,00.
Description
Gut flora package – testing of digestion, selected gut bacteria and yeasts
Do you have persistent or recurring gastrointestinal complaints and would you like several aspects of digestion and gut flora assessed at the same time? The Gut Flora Package examines digestive parameters, selected gut bacteria and the presence of culturable yeasts and fungi in the stool.
The result does not provide a diagnosis, but it can show which tested values are abnormal and which direction may be relevant for further assessment or additional testing.
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When is this test suitable?
For people who want several aspects of digestion and gut flora assessed at the same time or who want to selectively retest previously abnormal values.
- You regularly have a bloated abdomen, flatulence or abdominal discomfort.
- Your stools are often loose, mushy, fatty, sticky or variable in consistency.
- You want digestion and a number of selected gut bacteria assessed in a single test.
- Your gastrointestinal complaints started or changed after, for example, a course of antibiotics and you want to know the current status of the gut flora and yeast parameters being tested.
- A previous stool test, for example as part of a more extensive IBS package, found one or more of these parameters to be abnormal and you want them selectively retested.
- After treatment, a dietary change or another intervention, you want to check whether previously abnormal laboratory values have changed without immediately repeating the full original package.
Important: the symptoms listed are not specific to one abnormality in the gut flora or digestion and can have many different causes. This package provides additional laboratory information and helps indicate a direction; it does not replace a medical diagnosis.
What do we test?
A combination of digestive parameters, selected gut bacteria and culturable yeasts and fungi.
Digestive parameters
Fat, pH, starch, plant fibres, colour and consistency.
Gut flora panel 1
Enterobacteriaceae/E. coli, Enterococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.
Yeasts and fungi
Including culturable Candida albicans and – when sufficiently identifiable – Candida glabrata and Rhodotorula rubra. Other yeast colonies are reported as ‘yeasts’.
Akkermansia & Faecalibacterium
Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
What can the result tell you?
The combination of digestion, gut flora and yeast results can help guide further assessment or follow-up testing.
The result shows how the tested digestive parameters, bacterial groups and culturable yeasts and fungi in your stool sample were assessed. An abnormal value does not in itself provide a diagnosis and usually does not show what caused the abnormality.
The combination of results can, however, help indicate a direction. An abnormal digestive pattern may, for example, be a reason to assess diet, intestinal transit, fat digestion or other aspects of digestion further. Abnormal numbers of the selected gut bacteria can be taken into account when assessing the gut flora pattern. An increased amount of culturable yeasts can be a relevant finding that is interpreted together with symptoms and other test results.
The package can also be used for targeted follow-up testing. If one or more of these values were abnormal in a previous test, the same parameters can be measured again later. This makes it possible to see whether the laboratory values have changed since the previous measurement.
A change in a laboratory value does not in itself prove what caused that change or that a treatment has been completely successful.
Explanation of the tested values
What the different parts of the Gut Flora Package can show.
Digestive parameters
The digestive parameters assess fat, pH, starch, plant fibres, colour and consistency of the stool. These values provide information about characteristics of food processing and the stool at the time the sample is taken.
An abnormality is not specific to one condition. For example, an increased fat content may be a reason to assess fat digestion or absorption further. Starch, pH, plant fibres and consistency can together provide additional context about diet, processing and the speed of intestinal transit.
Gut flora panel 1
Gut flora panel 1 assesses Enterobacteriaceae/E. coli, Enterococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. This examines a targeted part of the gut flora; it is not a complete microbiome analysis.
Abnormal numbers can show that one or more of these bacterial groups are represented differently from expected. Symptoms, diet, intestinal transit, recent antibiotic use and other laboratory results may all be relevant when interpreting the findings.
Yeasts and fungi
This analysis examines how many living, culturable yeasts from the stool sample can grow on the culture medium used. Candida albicans can be reported separately when it can be identified with sufficient certainty. Also Candida glabrata and Rhodotorula rubra can be reported separately when there is sufficient certainty; other yeast colonies are reported as ‘yeasts’.
Fungal growth is also assessed. A higher number of culturable yeasts can provide additional information, but does not prove that a Candida infection is present or that yeasts are the cause of the gastrointestinal complaints.
Akkermansia muciniphila
Akkermansia muciniphila is a bacterium that lives in association with the intestinal mucus layer. The amount of this bacterium can be included as additional information about the gut flora pattern being tested.
A low or high value is not specific to one disease and should therefore not be interpreted as a diagnosis. With an abnormal result, the combination with symptoms, diet and other test results is particularly important.
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is a gut bacterium involved, among other things, in the production of short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate.
The measured amount provides additional information about this specific bacterium within the gut flora pattern being tested. An abnormal value is not a diagnosis on its own and is best assessed together with other laboratory findings, diet and symptoms.
The results are a snapshot and should be interpreted in relation to one another, your symptoms and your medical history.
How does the test work?
From collecting a sample at home to reporting the digestion, gut flora and yeast parameters.
- You order the Gut Flora Package and receive the required collection materials with instructions.
- You collect a stool sample at home according to the supplied instructions.
- You send the material to the laboratory according to the instructions.
- The laboratory examines the requested digestion, gut flora and yeast parameters.
- You receive a report with the results and the associated assessment.
Results and next steps
The appropriate next step depends on the combination of values found, your symptoms and previous testing.
For each component tested, the report shows which values were found and how they are presented in relation to the reference or assessment used. An abnormal result does not automatically mean that treatment is needed.
Sometimes a targeted additional analysis can be useful. An abnormal fat pattern may, for example, be a reason to investigate fat digestion further, while an abnormal gut flora pattern should mainly be assessed in conjunction with other findings. If values were previously abnormal, repeating the same parameters as follow-up testing may be sufficient.
If you have medical questions about the meaning of a result, a diagnosis or treatment, discuss them with your treating physician or another BIG-registered doctor.
Standard medical assessment takes priority in the presence of alarm symptoms such as blood in the stool, black tarry stools, unexplained weight loss, anaemia, severe pain or persistent severe diarrhoea.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about the Gut Flora Package.
No. The package measures various laboratory parameters in stool. An abnormal result can provide clues and help determine which direction to investigate further, but it does not in itself provide a diagnosis and does not prove what is causing your symptoms.
Yes. If a previous stool test, for example an IBS package, found abnormalities in parameters that are also included in the Gut Flora Package, these values can be tested again. This can be practical if you only want to retest certain previously abnormal components. The repeat result shows whether the measured values have changed; it cannot automatically be concluded from this what caused the change or whether a treatment was completely successful.
No. The package examines a selected number of bacterial groups and bacterial species. It therefore provides targeted information about these components and does not map the complete composition of all microorganisms in the intestine.
No. The yeast culture shows how many living, culturable yeasts were present in the sample tested. Even a higher number does not prove that there is an active Candida infection or that Candida is causing your gastrointestinal complaints.
No. Gastrointestinal complaints often have several possible explanations. An abnormal bacterial value can provide additional information, but must be assessed together with your symptoms, medical history, diet and any other tests.
Always follow the current collection instructions supplied with the package. Do not change prescribed medication on your own initiative; discuss any changes with the doctor who prescribed the medication.
Questions about this package?
Contact us if you are unsure whether a more targeted or more extensive test would be better suited to your situation.
Do you have questions about this package or are you unsure whether a more targeted or more extensive test would be better suited to your situation? Contact Darmklachten.nl for help with your choice.
Order the Gut Flora Package
Testing of digestion, selected gut bacteria and culturable yeasts in one package.
Would you like digestion, selected gut bacteria and culturable yeasts assessed in one stool test?
You can order the Gut Flora Package at the top of this page.
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