Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories

Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel WITHOUT C. difficile

Test Code

GINCD

Description

This is a multiplex PCR test which rapidly detects 21 common viruses, bacteria, and parasites that cause infectious diarrhea. Providers should ensure that the cause of diarrhea is not laxatives used in the prior 24-48 hrs. It is best used in patients with broad differentials, or if results will change management (e.g. reduce use of antimicrobials). This orderable DOES NOT includes C. difficile testing.

Targets include:

Bacteria

Viruses

Parasites

Campylobacter (C. jejuni/ C. coli/ C. upsaliensis)

Plesiomonas shigelloides

Salmonella

Vibrio (V. parahaemolyticus/ V. vulnificus/ V. cholerae)

Yersinia enterocolitica

Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)

Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)

Shia-like toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)

E. coli O157

Shigella/Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)

Adenovirus F 40/41

Astrovirus

Norovirus GI/GII

Rotavirus A

Sapovirus (genogroups I, II, IV, and V)

Cryptosporidium

Cyclospora cayetanensis

Entamoeba histolytica

Giardia lamblia

Collect

Stool: Collection of stool specimens should be during the acute or diarrheal stage of intestinal infection (5-7 days). Patient should pass stool in sterile pan, without urine or toilet paper touching the specimen. Toilet paper may contain barium salts, which are inhibitor to some fecal pathogens. Transfer specimen into Cary-Blair medium.

Preferred volume: > 3 mL
Minimum Volume: 0.2 mL

Unacceptable Conditions

Specimens received outside of temperature storage requirements
Specimens received outside of stability time frame
Specimens not received in Cary-Blair
Specimens in expired transport media
Specimens from a source not acceptable for this testing
Specimens that do not meet the minimum volume requirement
Specimens that are excessively leaking
Mislabeled or unlabeled specimen

Stability

For optimal recovery of potential pathogens, specimens should arrive within 2 hours at room temperature (20-25°C)
If transportation is delayed, specimens must be refrigerated (2-8°C) for a maximum of 4 days
If Shigella is suspected, the specimen should be stored at (2-8°C) the entire duration from collection to processing

Performed

7 days a week from 8am to 6pm

Methodology

Multiplex real-time RT-PCR

Turnaround Time

<24 hours

Department

Microbiology Lab

Synonyms

Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel

Study Offerings

CAP/CLIA

Reference Interval

Not Detected

Interpretation

Any target on the panel can be reported as detected, not detected, or indeterminate.

Detected results may be evidence of recent or ongoing infection. PCR does not distinguish between live virus and persistent residual nucleic acid. Some organisms may be carried asymptomatically. Positive results do not rule out co-infection with organisms not included in the assay.

Not Detected results should not be interpreted as definitively negative. There is a risk of false negative results due to the presence of sequence variants in the gene targets of the assay, procedural errors, amplification inhibitors in specimens, or inadequate numbers of organisms for amplification.

Test results are not intended to be used as the sole means for clinical diagnosis or patient management decisions. Results must be correlated with clinical history, epidemiological data, and other data available to the clinician when evaluating the patient.

Shiga toxin (stx; identical to stx1 of STEC) is found in Shigella dysenteriae; therefore, a report with positive test results for Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) stx1/stx2 and Shigella/Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) in the same sample may indicate the presence of S. dysenteriae.