What Is a GI-MAP Test?

Explore next: compare types of gut health test · GI-MAP test cost · collection instructions · sample report.

Editorial update: 9 November 2026 · Gi Map Test team. These source-checked editorial corrections are awaiting practitioner review and do not constitute a new clinical review.

Before choosing a stool panel, discuss the question you want the test to answer with a licensed clinician. You can start a GI-MAP™ order online without arranging an outside referral; the required practitioner ordering step is included.

The GI-MAP™ is a stool panel from Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory. It reports selected microbial DNA targets and intestinal-health markers from a sample collected at home. It is one testing option to discuss with a healthcare professional; a larger panel does not automatically provide a better answer for every symptom.

What Does GI-MAP™ Stand For?

GI-MAP™ stands for GI Microbial Assay Plus. It is a stool panel developed and processed by Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory that combines selected microbial targets with intestinal-health measurements.

How Is the GI-MAP™ Different from Regular Stool Tests?

GI-MAP uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to measure selected DNA targets. Culture, microscopy and other molecular tests answer different questions. Detecting DNA does not establish whether an organism is alive, whether infection is active or recent, or whether it explains a person’s symptoms.

Quantitative results estimate the amount of a target in the submitted sample. A number is not a direct measure of disease severity. Sampling, handling, analytical performance and clinical context affect interpretation.

What Does the GI-MAP™ Test For?

The GI-MAP™ analyzes over 85 biomarkers organized into several categories:

Bacterial Pathogens

Selected targets include H. pylori and virulence-factor genes, Campylobacter, C. difficile toxin genes, pathogenic E. coli, Salmonella and others. Detecting a toxin gene is different from measuring toxin production. These findings need clinical interpretation.

Parasitic Pathogens

The panel includes selected parasites such as Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia and Cyclospora. No panel detects every parasite. See the parasites and testing guide and confirm the required target with your clinician.

Viral Pathogens

The laboratory’s current sample report lists Adenovirus 40/41 and Norovirus GI/II in the viral-pathogen section. A separate viral section includes Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr Virus. The panel does not test for every viral cause of symptoms.

Opportunistic Organisms

This section reports selected organisms that can also occur in people without symptoms. A value above the laboratory’s reference range does not alone establish infection, explain symptoms or show that treatment is needed.

Beneficial Bacteria

The report includes selected commensal bacteria, including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia. A result outside the laboratory’s reference range does not, by itself, diagnose dysbiosis or explain symptoms.

Intestinal Health Markers

The panel also reports markers such as calprotectin, secretory IgA, elastase-1, steatocrit, anti-gliadin IgA, beta-glucuronidase and occult blood. Their purposes and evidence differ. Anti-gliadin IgA in stool is not a test for celiac disease or food sensitivity.

Who Should Consider the GI-MAP™?

Discuss persistent digestive symptoms with a licensed clinician before choosing a test. The useful question is which result would change your care and whether a targeted conventional test is more appropriate. Do not delay medical evaluation for severe symptoms or use this report alone to start treatment.

Some report findings are numeric and others are qualitative. Use each marker’s units and reference range; repeating a broad panel is not automatically a useful way to judge treatment. A clinician should decide whether retesting would answer a specific care question.

How the qPCR Technology Actually Works

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the same broad family of DNA-amplification technology that became familiar to the public during COVID-19 testing. The laboratory uses primers that are designed to bind to genetic sequences unique to each target organism. If that organism's DNA is present in the stool sample, the reaction amplifies it through repeated heating and cooling cycles, and a fluorescent signal is measured in real time.

The amplification signal is used to estimate the starting amount of a selected microbial target. This measurement does not show whether a detected organism is alive or causing symptoms. Intestinal-health markers are measured using other methods, including immunoassays, as described in the laboratory’s methods document.

Culture and molecular testing provide different information. Detecting more genetic targets is not, by itself, proof that a test better explains symptoms or improves care. IDSA’s guidance calls for clinical interpretation of molecular stool-test findings. Follow the collection and shipping instructions supplied with your kit.

How to Read Your GI-MAP™ Report

A GI-MAP™ report groups results into the categories described above and flags values that fall outside the reference range, often using color coding so that out-of-range findings stand out at a glance.

A single flagged marker rarely tells the whole story on its own. For example, an opportunistic overgrowth alongside low beneficial bacteria and elevated Calprotectin paints a very different picture than one mildly elevated marker in isolation. This is why the report is meant to be read in the context of your symptoms and history rather than as a standalone diagnosis, and why we recommend reviewing your results with a licensed practitioner. You can preview the layout on our sample report page before you order.

Results are not a substitute for evaluation by a licensed clinician. The GI-MAP™ is best used as one input into a broader clinical picture, and any treatment decisions, including the use of antimicrobials, antibiotics, or prescription medication, should be made with a healthcare professional who can weigh the findings against your individual circumstances.

GI-MAP™ vs. Other Stool Tests

Compare the panels, collection requirements and quote questions in our GI-MAP vs GI Effects vs Gut Zoomer guide.

Conventional stool testing has traditionally relied on culture and microscopy, which require organisms to grow or to be visually identified. These methods remain valuable in acute clinical settings, but they can miss organisms that are difficult to culture, present in small numbers, or no longer viable. We compare the two approaches in detail in our guide on GI-MAP™ vs. conventional stool culture.

The GI-MAP™ also offers focused panels:

• The comprehensive GI-MAP™ Standard
• GI-MAP™ + Zonulin, which adds zonulin; this result alone does not establish intestinal permeability
• A standalone H. pylori profile, for those whose primary concern is Helicobacter pylori and its virulence factors

Resistance findings and optional add-ons

H. pylori-specific resistance markers are distinct from the optional Universal Antibiotic Resistance Genes panel. Do not assume the Universal panel is included in Standard or + Zonulin. A detected resistance gene does not by itself establish that a particular drug will fail. See the laboratory’s guide, pages 41–43 and the inclusions for your order.

Common Questions About the GI-MAP™

Do I need to stop probiotics or medications before testing?

Follow the instructions supplied with your current kit and discuss preparation with the clinician overseeing testing. Do not stop prescribed medicines on the basis of this article.

Is the GI-MAP™ a diagnostic test for a specific disease?

No. The GI-MAP™ is a laboratory assessment of microbial and intestinal-health markers. It can reveal patterns associated with various conditions, but it does not by itself diagnose disease. Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, infections, and cancers require evaluation and diagnosis by a physician using appropriate clinical methods.

How long do results take?

The lab’s standard processing time is 10–16 business days from the date it receives your sample. Once testing is complete and the lab releases your results to us, we typically need an additional 1–3 business days to process and email them to you.

How much does the GI-MAP™ test cost?

GI-MAP™ Standard costs $525 USD, GI-MAP™ + Zonulin $600 USD, and the H. pylori Profile $237 USD. Required practitioner ordering is included. US service excludes New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island; shipping exceptions apply.

How to Order in the United States

You can start an order online without arranging an outside referral. The required practitioner ordering step is included. US service excludes New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island; shipping exceptions apply. See how to order, current prices and the shipping policy.

Limits of the evidence

A small independent 2020 study using 23 prepared stool samples reported substantial false positives for GI-MAP’s pathogen testing. It did not evaluate every current marker or patient outcomes. The laboratory publishes its own methodology information. Test-specific performance matters; qPCR technology alone does not prove clinical usefulness.

Sources

Laboratory documentation supports the panel description. Clinical guidance and the cited assay study provide context and limitations, rather than an endorsement of this test.

• Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory — sample report and exact targets (PDF)
• Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory — assay methods (PDF)
• Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory — interpretive guide and optional panels (PDF)
• IDSA — molecular stool-test interpretation
• Gingras and Maggiore (2020) — Performance of a new molecular assay for the detection of gastrointestinal pathogens
• International consensus statement on microbiome testing in clinical practice