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
Sarah King
Fleet Street Clinic is amazing! The Reception staff are welcoming and efficient. The nurses Lucy and Becky are skilled and very friendly. Dr Sally and Dr Belinda are both incredible -the best GPs I have ever met. I am so lucky this is my local clinic.
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.
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!
Hannah
I went to Fleet Street Clinic to get the rabies vaccine and it was a great service! The jabs were the cheapest I could find around London but the clinic was really clean and professional. Would recommend to come here for travel vaccines!
Barry Milton
Excellent and efficient service from reception to consultation. Arranged good contact with my local GP which has enabled me to complete my treatment early next week.
M P
We were grateful for the helpful advice they gave us and the chance to speak to a nurse before we booked our appointment. The nurse we saw was very informative, efficient and kind and the reception staff were friendly and professional.
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.
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!
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!
Mr Mark Coffer
Dr Cave always delivers a compelling and thorough medical examination whilst retaining a good sense of humour and a reassuring manner. You could do no better than the Fleet Street Clinic for your MOT.
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
