EntericBio Gastro Panel 2 (GP2) assay

To investigate the presence of the following causes of gastroenteritis.
Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC), Giardia, Cryptosporidium

N/A

To identify faecal pathogens other than the targets listed above, appropriate clinical details must be provided so a full culture can be added.

Samples may be referred to Public Health England for further investigation:

• To detect organisms other than those listed above, e.g. Vibrio sp., Yersinia sp., appropriate clinical details should be provided or a full culture requested.
• EntericBio Gastro Panel 2 assay does not differentiate which Cryptosporidium species (parvum or hominis) is present in the sample.
• Cryptosporidium. cuniculus / meleagridis / ubiquitum and Cryptosporidium Horse genotype may be detected in addition to C. parvum and C. hominis due to significant sequence homology in the probe binding region. Nevertheless, reports of human infections with these species are rare.
• Campylobacter insulaenigrae when present at very high copy numbers may be detected in addition to Campylobacter jejuni/coli/lari due to incomplete but significant sequence homology in the probe binding region. Reported cases of C. insulaenigrae from suspected cases of enteritis in humans are rare.
• EntericBio Gastro Panel 2 assay does not differentiate which Campylobacter species (coli or lari or jejuni) is present in the sample.
• The Invasion Plasmid Antigen H (ipaH) gene target is present in Shigella spp. and Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC). A positive result for Shigella spp. that is not confirmed by culture may be due to the presence of nonviable organism or the presence of EIEC in the sample.
• stx1 gene can also be present in some Shigella spp. and is genetically indistinguishable from the stx1 gene of STEC. The stx genes are mobile genetic elements and their presence has been reported in other members of Enterobacteriaceae.
• A positive Gastropanel PCR result does not indicate the presence of a viable organism in the sample at the time of testing. Samples submitted for test of clearance/cure should be tested by routine culture methods. This should also be considered where testing is requested on non-liquid stool samples submitted as part of a clinical follow up on patients with a recent clinical history of foreign travel associated gastroenteritis.