• Gastrointestinal symptoms: Ongoing digestive symptoms affecting comfort or regularity.
• IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome presentations where microbiome patterns are being explored.
• IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease as part of a broader gut health assessment.
• Digestive health review: General evaluation of gut microbial balance and diversity.
• Post-treatment follow-up: Review following dietary, probiotic or antimicrobial interventions.
• Chronic digestive concerns: Longstanding gut-related complaints with unclear drivers.
• Baseline microbiome assessment: Establishing an initial picture of gut bacterial diversity.
• Functional gut evaluation: Assessment within a functional or integrative care approach.

The GI360 Microbiome only x1 is a stool-based DNA analysis that evaluates the abundance and diversity of more than 45 targeted bacterial analytes across six major bacterial phyla using multiplex PCR technology. Results are compared against a characterised normobiotic reference population to provide a profile of gut bacterial composition from a single-day collection.

This test may be clinically useful when practitioners want a focused overview of microbiome diversity and relative bacterial abundance without assessing pathogens, parasites or digestive markers. Summary outputs, including visual representations and a Dysbiosis Index derived from microbiome data alone, help contextualise overall microbial patterns.

Practitioners typically interpret results alongside dietary intake, medication history, lifestyle factors and other laboratory findings. Patterns are reviewed in context and may be considered alongside additional GI360 add-ons, such as zonulin, when working with clients.

Practical

Specimen requirements:

Stool

1 day collection

Average processing time:

21 days

No Call / Inhibited
In certain circumstances, stool samples may not yield results for a limited section of viruses, pathogenic bacteria and parasites [known as : No Call / Inhibited]. Statistically this can affect approximately 6% of tests.
Many factors contribute to this issue including diet, medication, supplements, and competing DNA. Excessive calcium, tannic acid, bile salts, haemoglobin, melanin, collagen, urea, degradation products, complex polysaccharides and polyphenolic substances have also been found to cause inhibition.Test reports affected are not considered to be defective and thus are not eligible for cancellation or refunds.
Resubmission of the a supplementary sample to attempt analysis can be accommodated with billable costs limited to supply and return shipping.
By ordering this test, you accept the conditions and risks explained here.

Available add-ons:

Zonulin add on for GI360

Age Considerations:

The GI360 Microbiome test may best be served for those ages 2 and above due to variations in the microbiome in ages 0-2.

Research

• Aasbrenn M, Valeur J, Farup PG. Evaluation of a faecal dysbiosis test for irritable bowel syndrome in subjects with and without obesity. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. 2017;78(1-2):109-113. DOI: 10.1080/00365513.2017.1419372

• Andréasson K, Alrawi Z, Persson A, Jönsson G, Marsal J. Intestinal dysbiosis is common in systemic sclerosis and associated with gastrointestinal and extraintestinal features of disease. Arthritis Research & Therapy. 2016;18(1). DOI: 10.1186/s13075-016-1182-z

• Bennet SMP, Böhn L, Störsrud S, et al. Multivariate modelling of faecal bacterial profiles of patients with IBS predicts responsiveness to a diet low in FODMAPs. Gut. 2017;67(5):872-881. DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313128

• Casén C, Vebø HC, Sekelja M, et al. Deviations in human gut microbiota: a novel diagnostic test for determining dysbiosis in patients with IBS or IBD. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2015;42(1):71-83. DOI: 10.1111/apt.13236

• Farup PG, Aasbrenn M, Valeur J. Separating “good” from “bad” faecal dysbiosis – evidence from two cross-sectional studies. BMC Obesity. 2018;5(1). DOI: 10.1186/s40608-018-0207-3

• Farup P, Valeur J. Faecal Microbial Markers and Psychobiological Disorders in Subjects with Morbid Obesity. A Cross-Sectional Study. Behavioral Sciences. 2018;8(10):89. DOI: 10.3390/bs8100089

• Magnusson MK, Strid H, Sapnara M, et al. Anti-TNF Therapy Response in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Is Associated with Colonic Antimicrobial Peptide Expression and Microbiota Composition. Journal of Crohns and Colitis. 2016;10(8):943-952. DOI: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjw051

• Magnusson MK, Strid H, Isaksson S, Simrén M, Öhman L. The Mucosal Antibacterial Response Profile and Fecal Microbiota Composition Are Linked to the Disease Course in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Ulcerative Colitis. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2017;23(6):956-966. DOI: 10.1097/mib.0000000000001130

• Mazzawi T, Lied GA, Sangnes DA, et al. The kinetics of gut microbial community composition in patients with irritable bowel syndrome following fecal microbiota transplantation. Plos One. 2018;13(11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194904

• Olbjørn C, Småstuen MC, Thiis-Evensen E, et al. Fecal microbiota profiles in treatment-naïve pediatric inflammatory bowel disease – associations with disease phenotype, treatment, and outcome. Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology. 2019;Volume 12:37-49. DOI: 10.2147/ceg.s186235

• Thorkildsen LT, Nwosu FC, Avershina E, et al. Dominant Fecal Microbiota in Newly Diagnosed Untreated Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients. Gastroenterology Research and Practice. 2013;2013:1-13. DOI: 10.1155/2013/636785

• Valeur J, Småstuen MC, Knudsen T, Lied GA, Røseth AG. Exploring Gut Microbiota Composition as an Indicator of Clinical Response to Dietary FODMAP Restriction in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 2018;63(2):429-436. DOI: 10.1007/s10620-017-4893-3

• Vebø HC, Sekelja M, Nestestog R, et al. Temporal Development of the Infant Gut Microbiota in Immunoglobulin E-Sensitized and Nonsensitized Children Determined by the GA-Map Infant Array. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology. 2011;18(8):1326-1335. DOI: 10.1128/cvi.00062-11