Test Order Name - GI Panel PCR
Synonym(s) - Biofire GI Panel, Stool NAAT, Stool PCR. This test can detect nucleic acids from the following bacteria, viruses, and parasites from stool specimen from patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Adenovirus F 40/41
- Astrovirus
- Campylobacter spp.
- Clostridium difficile toxin A/B
- Cryptosporidium
- Cyclospora cayetanensis
- E. coli O157
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Shiga-like toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) stx1/stx2
- Enteropathogenic E coli (EPAC)
- Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)
- Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)
- Giardia lamblia
- Norovirus GI/GII
- Plesiomonas shigelloides
- Sapovirus
- Salmonella spp.
- Shigella/enteroinvasive E coli (EIEC);
- Vibrio spp.
- Vibrio cholerae
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Rotavirus A
Methodology - Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Acceptable Specimen Type(s) for Testing - Stool specimens should be collected in Cary Blair transport media according to manufacturer’s instructions
Transport / Collection Medium - Cary Blair transport media
Storage and Preservation of Specimen - Specimens should be processed and tested with the BioFire GI Panel as soon as possible. Specimen must be refrigerated (2 to 8 °C) and received by the Laboratory within three days of collection.
Minimum Volume Required - 0.2 milliliter (200 microliter)
Additional Collection Instructions - Introduce stool into orange Para-Pak® vial in small amounts such that level does not exceed fill-line on label. Cap securely and shake vial to distribute sample into the Cary-Blair preservative. If possible, allow patient to urinate before collecting stool specimen so as to avoid contaminating the stool specimen with urine. Catch the stool specimen in a clean, empty widemouthed container or place plastic wrap over the opening of the toilet bowl to prevent the stool specimen from falling into the bowl. The stool specimen must be placed into the Para-Pak® vial within one hour of the stools production for optimum results. Label the Para-Pak® vial with the patient's name, date of birth, date of collection and time of collection.
Additional Required Information - Requisition is required for all specimen
Send Out? - None
Turnaround Time - 2 business days from receipt
Limitations / Notes / Disclaimers - The performance of this test has not been established for patients without signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Virus, bacteria and parasite nucleic acid may persist in vivo independently of organism viability.
Additionally, some organisms may be carried asymptomatically. Detection of organism targets does not imply that the corresponding organisms are infectious or are the causative agents for clinical symptoms. The detection of organism nucleic acid is dependent upon proper sample collection, handling, transportation, CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY 101 Grove Street, Room 419 San Francisco, CA 94102 Tel: (628) 206-7100 Fax: (415) 431-0651 Godfred Masinde, PhD., Lab Director CLIA ID # 05D0643643 storage and preparation. Failure to observe proper procedures in any one of these steps can lead to incorrect results. There is a risk of false-positive and false-negative results caused by improperly collected, transported or and handled specimens.