Book a GP Appointment for assessment
Book Appointment
A GI Panel PCR test is suitable for returning travellers and in urgent circumstances, we can help those still travelling.
If you are a returning travellers, book a 15-min GP appointment for assessment.
If you are currently still travelling, please contact our reception team on 0207 353 5678 to discuss your options.
| Service | Price | How to Book |
|---|---|---|
| 15-min GP Appointment | £98 | Book online |
| Additional cost: | ||
| - GI Panel PCR Test | £230 | |
| Feacal transport swab | £5 | Buy In-clinic |
Fleet Street Clinic is not a VAT registered company
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.
Don't let Travellers' Diarrhoea ruin your plans!
Take our online consultation to see if it is suitable for us to prescribe standby Travellers’ Diarrhoea treatment for you.
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Book a GP Appointment for assessment
Book Appointment
A GI Panel PCR test is suitable for returning travellers and in urgent circumstances, we can help those still travelling.
If you are a returning travellers, book a 15-min GP appointment for assessment.
If you are currently still travelling, please contact our reception team on 0207 353 5678 to discuss your options.
| Service | Price | How to Book |
|---|---|---|
| 15-min GP Appointment | £98 | Book online |
| Additional cost: | ||
| - GI Panel PCR Test | £230 | |
| Feacal transport swab | £5 | Buy In-clinic |
Fleet Street Clinic is not a VAT registered company
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