Travellers' Diarrhoea GI Panel PCR Test
Returning from your travels with a stomach bug?
Still experiencing Travellers' Diarrhoea symptoms weeks after returning home?
If you have persistent diarrhoea symptoms on return from your travels, we can help – with fast, accurate diagnosis to pinpoint the cause, and with prompt treatment from our Travel Medicine specialists.
Our Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel PCR stool test looks for any microbes that may be causing your symptoms and can quickly identify the exact cause of your Travellers’ Diarrhoea. Results can be provided in as little as one hour, so that accurate and effective treatment can begin straight away.
Viruses, bacteria or parasites can all cause similar symptoms but require an entirely different treatment approach. If your Travellers’ Diarrhoea has a viral or parasitic cause, antibiotics will not help.
Pinpointing the exact cause – rather than just making an educated guess – is the key to successful treatment, especially if a first attempt at treatment has already failed.
Our “gastrointestinal panel” is capable of detecting any of the 23 commonest pathogens that cause diarrhoea – such as E. coli, campylobacter, norovirus salmonella, shigella and giardia, from a single stool sample – all that’s needed is a simple swab.
Traditional lab tests such as microscopy and culture can take days to yield useful results. By contrast, PCR allows detection of the tiniest traces of genetic material from the viruses, bacteria, and parasites that cause infection.
Because our laboratory is situated within our own clinic, we can run samples immediately, and provide test results in little over an hour. This means that treatment can start confidently and correctly, right way. With growing concerns about antibiotic resistance, it also means that antibiotics can be confidently avoided when they are not needed.
As one of the leading independent specialist travel clinics in the UK, we look after large numbers of travellers every year: we have been offering PCR as an immediate diagnostic test for travellers’ diarrhoea and gastroenteritis since 2016 and were the first medical practice in the UK to do this..
What bugs can the Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel detect?
The test looks for the top 23 causes of travellers' diarrhoea.
They are all tested at exactly the same time – with rapid results. Here is a complete list of the bacteria, viruses and parasites our panel tests for:
Bacteria:
- Campylobacter coli
- Campylobacter spp. (Campylobacter jejuni)
- Campylobacter upsaliensis
- Clostridium difficile (tcdA/tcdB)
- Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)
- Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)/Shigella
- Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)
- Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)
- Plesiomonas shigelloides
- Salmonella spp.
- Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype O157:H7
- Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli (STEC [enterohemorrhagic E. coli])
- Vibrio cholerae
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus
- Vibrio vulnificus
- Yersinia enterocolitica
Viruses:
- Human Adenovirus F40/F41
- Norovirus GI
- Norovirus GII
- Rotavirus A
- Astrovirus
- Sapovirus GI, GII, GIV and GV
Parasites:
- Cryptosporidium spp.
- Cyclospora cayetanensis
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Giardia lamblia
Can you still help if I am still abroad?
Yes - but a little preparation may be needed.
If you think you might need to have a GI Panel PCR test whilst abroad, it is best to travel with a faecal transport swab, which can be purchased from us at low cost.
The GI PCR test uses tiny stool samples taken with a swab and preserved in vial containing transport medium, that can easily be preserved and sent back to the clinic from abroad for analysis. The ideal option would be to send it to us by overnight courier which would provide next day results.
Faecal transport swabs are available at Fleet Street Clinic to purchase during your consultation or via our online shop.
If you find yourself aboard needing a GI PCR test and you don’t have one of our swabs, we may still be able to help. You should phone the laboratory for more information.
Diarrhoea can persist for weeks afterwards, there are a number of possible reasons, and they do warrant medical advice and further investigation. The PCR technique is sensitive enough to detect traces of organisms, perhaps days after recovery – making it still possible to track down the bug that spoiled your holiday.
Can a GI PCR detect more than one cause?
Yes, about 20% of cases may be mixed infections
Not all cases of travellers’ diarrhoea are due to a single cause, and in about 20% of cases we find mixed infections – involving more than one organism at the same time.
This can explain why initial treatment may sometimes fail to work completely – if the different organisms require different forms of treatment.
PCR can help in this situation since tests as they screen for all pathogens at the same time. Our tests are semi-quantitive so can also give a rough indication of which infection predominates.
Our Patients Speak for Us
Jez John
I love this place; it's my go-to for vaccinations. Now they offer private COVID boosters even better—also much better availability than the high street chemist named after footwear. Everyone is so friendly and professional.
Nina
I wanted to get a private covid vaccination as soon as it is available. The Fleet street clinic must be one of the first places in London, where the private Covid vaccination is available. I booked on Saturday for my appointment on Monday. When I got to the clinic I waited for less than 5 minutes. The staff were friendly and welcoming. Overall a very pleasant experience. I'm glad to have the vaccine as I'm not eligible under new NHS rules.
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Excellent service, well organised travel clinic with expert and well trained staff. Highly recommended.
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Cian Haynes
I highly recommend Fleet Street Clinic for travel vaccines. The experience was smooth and professional. Chiara was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and reassuring. She thoroughly explained each vaccine and made me feel at ease. The vaccinations were quick and relatively painless, with excellent aftercare advice. I feel well-protected for my travels thanks to Chiara and the team!
Kim London
Prompt access to knowledgeable and sympathetic advice and a reliable recommendation that will make me feel like 'a new woman'. What a relief! Thank you Dr Griffiths.
Vlad Cochintoiu
Had a great experience booking and getting a last minute rapid rabies jab with Fleet Street Clinic! They even booked me in out of hours for my jab because it was the only way to do it before my travels! Thank you to everyone who assisted me.
Richard Andrews
A really great private GP service. Warm, friendly and professional doctors who make you feel special and heard. The appointments are never rushed and you are properly examined and treated. Highly recommended.
Hareen De Silva
Fantastic front of house staff. Dr Levy was brilliant during my appointment. Nurse Chiara gave me my travel vaccinations and was extremely professional and knowledgeable.
Jenny Gibson
We booked, we arrived and we had our vaccines. Everything as expected. What really stood out was the level of medical advice from the nurse giving us our injections. It was explained very clearly to us to the level of protection our vaccine would give. As this was a new vaccine the results of medical trials were also highlighted. There was no push to sell more products, just clear advice on what to avoid and what to do to prepare for our trip to the Far East.
FAQs
Travellers’ diarrhoea is caused by drinking water or eating foods that contaminated with viruses, bacteria or parasites. Travellers’ diarrhoea is the most common illness in travellers travelling to hot countries and places where food hygiene is unreliable.
More information on Travellers’ diarrhoea
Yes, we have a free online Travellers’ Diarrhoea Consultation which asks you a few questions about your upcoming travels and determines if you are suitable for a Travellers’ Diarrhoea Kit – you can then choose to purchase this kit.
The kit is also available when you attend our Travel Clinic.
According to NaTHNaC, bacteria are the most common cause of Travellers’ Diarrhoea; most commonly enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, followed by Campylobacter jejuni, Shigella spp., and Salmonella spp. Giardia infection is the commonest cause of diarrhoea persisting on return home.
As one of the leading independent specialist travel clinics in the UK, we look after large numbers of travellers every year: we were the first clinic to offer PCR as a “point of care” diagnostic test for travellers’ diarrhoea and have been using it for in-clinic diagnosis of travellers’ diarrhoea and related infections since 2016. PCR is not new, but the Fleet Street Clinic is one of the only places in the UK that can deliver results at the same appointment.
For more information on Travellers’ Diarrhoea
