The GI-MAP™ Interpretive Guide: How to Read Every Section of Your Report

This GI-MAP™ interpretation guide explains the report’s sections, notation and limitations. It covers selected microbial and intestinal-health findings; the markers included depend on the panel and add-ons ordered.

Two notes first. If you wanted collection instructions rather than help reading results, see how it works; the delivery timeline is on the results page. And this is a guide to the report’s structure, not an interpretation of your case — the GI-MAP™ is a laboratory test, not a diagnosis, and no article can weigh your history and medications the way a qualified practitioner can.

Learn the notation first: what the numbers actually say

Many microbial results use scientific notation. 1.2e5 means 120,000. The laboratory’s sample report describes microbial quantities as genome equivalents per gram of stool. Intestinal-health measurements use their own units, and some findings are reported qualitatively. Always read the unit and reference range printed beside the result. See the official sample report.

<dl means below detection limit: the target was not detected above the assay’s stated limit in this sample. It does not rule out every infection or another cause of symptoms.

Detection needs clinical context. PCR may detect genetic material without proving that a living organism is causing illness; IDSA’s infectious-diarrhea guideline explains this limitation. Quantification does not remove that uncertainty. Our PCR testing guide explains the method, and the sample walkthrough explains the display, not an individual diagnosis.

Section 1 — Pathogens

The report opens with bacterial, parasitic and viral pathogens: organisms with an established ability to cause gastrointestinal disease, several reported alongside their toxin genes. Here more than anywhere, quantity and context decide meaning. Healthy people can carry low levels of some listed organisms without symptoms, so a detected pathogen starts a conversation with your practitioner about symptoms, exposure history and the reported level — not an automatic prescription. Our gut infections hub covers the individual organisms in more depth.

Section 2 — H. pylori and virulence factors

This section reports H. pylori DNA and selected virulence genes, such as cagA and vacA. These findings do not by themselves determine disease severity or a treatment plan; absence of a reported virulence gene is not an assurance that care is unnecessary.

The H. pylori biomarker guide goes deeper; if this is your only question, the targeted $237 H. Pylori Profile means you do not have to buy the full panel.

Section 3 — Normal and commensal bacteria

This section reports selected commensal bacterial abundances, including Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. A low or high value is a comparison with the laboratory’s reference range, not a standalone diagnosis of dysbiosis or a direct measure of mucus-barrier function or short-chain-fatty-acid production. See the individual marker guides.

Section 4 — Opportunistic and overgrowth organisms

These organisms can be present without symptoms. A single elevation, or several elevations together, does not establish the cause of illness or select an antimicrobial treatment. Your clinician considers the reason for testing, symptoms, other investigations and assay limitations. The opportunistic bacteria guide describes the reported groups; our SIBO and IBS guides discuss why the clinical question matters.

Sections 5–7 — Fungi, viruses and parasites

The fungal section reports selected Candida and other fungal targets. Detection in stool is not by itself a diagnosis of fungal infection and does not establish a need for antifungal treatment. See the Candida guide.

The sample report lists Adenovirus 40/41 and Norovirus GI/II in the initial pathogen section, and Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr Virus in a separate viral section. Parasite findings appear in more than one section. Use the current laboratory sample report and your own report to check exact targets; a negative panel does not exclude organisms it does not test for. Our parasite guide describes related testing questions.

Section 8 — Intestinal health markers

Intestinal-health markers use assays other than microbial qPCR, including immunoassays. They measure different things and have different clinical uses; read each result in its own units. The laboratory’s methods document explains the assays. See also our comprehensive stool analysis guide.

• Pancreatic elastase-1 — used in evaluation of pancreatic enzyme insufficiency. The specimen should be semi-solid or solid, as described in AGA guidance; a low result needs clinical interpretation.
• Steatocrit — an estimate of stool fat. A high value does not identify the cause of the finding on its own.
• Beta-glucuronidase — a stool enzyme-activity measurement, not a direct measurement of circulating estrogen or a diagnosis of a hormone disorder.
• Occult blood — hidden blood in the stool. Whatever else your report says, this is a finding your doctor should always know about.
• Secretory IgA — a stool antibody measurement. High or low results alone do not establish infection or overall immune competence.
• Anti-gliadin IgA — the immune response to the gliadin fraction of gluten. Useful context, but it is not a celiac test.
• Calprotectin — the inflammation marker gastroenterologists themselves rely on; markedly elevated values are exactly the kind of finding to escalate to a GI physician. The NIH’s MedlinePlus explainer is a good plain-language reference.
• Zonulin (add-on) — included in our GI-MAP™ + Zonulin panel at $600. The result alone does not establish abnormal intestinal permeability or a diagnosis.

The last line: antibiotic-resistance genes

The GI-MAP includes H. pylori-specific resistance markers, reported when the laboratory’s reporting conditions are met. The Universal Antibiotic Resistance Genes panel is a separate optional add-on; it should not be assumed to be part of Standard or + Zonulin. The laboratory’s interpretive guide, pages 41–43 distinguishes these sections.

For the Universal panel, a detected gene cannot be assigned to a particular organism, and detection does not guarantee resistance to a drug. Genetic screening is not the same as susceptibility testing of a cultured isolate. A prescriber must interpret the result in the clinical setting.

Questions to take to your clinician

A report may raise useful questions, but neither a single flag nor a combination automatically establishes a diagnosis. Examples to discuss:

• A low elastase result — was the stool suitable for this assay, and does the result fit symptoms, history and any other investigation?
• Out-of-range microbial or antibody findings — what evidence would be needed before deciding that a finding explains symptoms or warrants treatment?
• Elevated calprotectin or detected occult blood — what medical evaluation is appropriate to determine the cause?

The report does not replace medical evaluation, and these questions are not instructions to start or change treatment.

Where self-interpretation should stop

Reading your own GI-MAP results is genuinely worthwhile — you will have a better conversation with whoever treats you. But deciding what to do about them is practitioner work, because the same elevation can call for opposite responses depending on your history and medications.

If you do not have a practitioner, the Optional practitioner review adds a personalized written report from a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P), with a marker-by-marker breakdown of your findings. Still deciding whether the test fits you at all? Start with is the GI-MAP worth it — a page that honestly answers “no” for several kinds of buyer.

GI-MAP interpretation: common questions

How do I read my GI-MAP results?

Read the headings, units and reference ranges on your own report. Some findings are quantitative and others qualitative, and add-ons vary. Ask a licensed clinician what any flag means for the question being investigated; neither a single flag nor a pattern automatically gives a diagnosis.

What does <dl mean on the GI-MAP?

It means the target was not detected above the assay’s limit in that sample. It does not exclude organisms outside the panel or every possible cause of symptoms.

What do high opportunistic bacteria mean?

An elevated value means the measured amount is above the laboratory’s reference range. It does not by itself establish active infection, explain symptoms or show that antimicrobial treatment is needed. A clinician assesses it alongside the reason for testing and other evidence.

Is there an official GI-MAP interpretive guide?

Yes. Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory publishes an official GI-MAP interpretive guide (PDF) and a sample report (PDF). Use the panel, units and reference ranges printed on your own report, because laboratory documents and available add-ons can change.

Who interprets my GI-MAP™ results?

You choose. You can add the Optional practitioner review ($245 USD) for a personalized written report from a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P), interpret the report yourself, or take it to your own doctor. We recommend reviewing your results with a licensed practitioner.

Sources and scope

Laboratory documents describe the panel and its methods. Clinical guidance explains how findings need to be assessed; it does not endorse this particular commercial test.

• Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory: sample report and reported units (PDF)
• Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory: interpretive guide and optional panels (PDF)
• Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory: assay methods (PDF)
• IDSA: interpretation of molecular stool-test findings
• American College of Gastroenterology: how SIBO is evaluated
• American Gastroenterological Association: fecal elastase and pancreatic insufficiency
• International consensus on the limits of microbiome testing in clinical practice

Related: Sample report · Results timeline · Biomarker guides · Optional practitioner review · Is the GI-MAP™ worth it?