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
Nicholas Grundy
I recently sought treatment at Fleet Street Clinic for painful ears; I was quickly diagnosed by Dr Hartmann. He prescribed ear drops and arranged an appointment for me a week later with Lucy Mildren. Within a week my ears were better. Everything was very efficient and I was treated with care and skill.
Blake
Had to get a whooping cough vaccine to visit my new nephew in Australia…couldn’t have asked for a better service. Phoned on during the week, booked in for 9am, I arrived a few minutes early and was walking out the door vaccinated and back to work in less than 10 minutes after a refreshing chat with the lovely staff. What more can you ask for???
Iain Guest
I received a first dose of the QDenga vaccine recently from Nurse Becky Arrell at the Fleet Street Clinic. She was quick, efficient, friendly and very knowledgeable. The QDenga is not yet available in the US, where I live, and I'm heading off to South Asia feeling reassured. I highly recommend the Clinic to anyone traveling to far-off lands!
Mark A
My wife and I have attended the Fleet Street Clinic for many years now and found Dr Belinda Griffiths and her team exemplary in all departments. On the back of this I have recommended the clinic to all my family members and Senior Management team.
Emily Lavis
Brilliant clinic, would 100% recommend. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable and the nurse's care couldn't have been better. They managed to fit me in for a same-day appointment and provide me with helpful advice for follow up. Thank you :)
AES
The best in London. I have been coming here for over 20 years. Professional, easy and provide a comprehensive offering. Travel vaccinations, shingles vaccine & most recently covid vaccine.
Grace G
The travel nurse was lovely and very efficient with giving me vaccines. She even took the time to nurse a wound I had whilst I was there. Really great care.
Wiktoria Wiatrowska
The stitches were removed very quickly and professionally. The nurse was very calm and approachable and made the whole experience really pleasant. It was also my first time having this type of procedure in the UK, so I was a little apprehensive, but there was no need to be!
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.
Nicola Mulgrew
We went to the clinic to get travel vaccines. We were on an incredibly tight schedule, only in London for the one day, and we were seen with no issues. Later, I ordered anti-malarials by email and received them the next day! Amazing service. Highly recommend.
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
