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Is the GI-MAP worth it? Cost and evidence by section
Whether a test is worth it depends on why it is being ordered, which is a question for you and a clinician. What we can show is what the GI-MAP costs, what each section of the report is backed by, and what it does not tell you (prices checked Oct 19, 2026).
| GI-MAP | |
|---|---|
| Prices we track | $320–$499 (8 listings from 8 sellers) |
| Lowest open to the public | $409 at Labs by Request |
| Overall evidence level | Emerging |
What the evidence says
GI-MAP combines markers with different levels of support. Some components are covered by guidelines: NICE recommends faecal calprotectin to help distinguish inflammatory bowel disease from IBS, and the 2017 IDSA infectious diarrhea guideline addresses multiplex DNA-based stool pathogen panels, advising that results be interpreted with clinical judgment because these assays detect DNA, not necessarily live organisms. For the commensal-bacteria and dysbiosis sections, a 2025 international consensus statement (Porcari et al., Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol) found insufficient evidence to recommend routine microbiome testing in clinical practice and stated that multiplex PCR cannot be considered microbiome testing or used as a proxy for microbiome profiling. We found no guideline or systematic review that evaluates the GI-MAP panel as a whole.
Evidence section by section
| Section | Our evidence level | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Calprotectin | Established | NICE recommends faecal calprotectin to help distinguish inflammatory bowel disease from IBS in adults with new lower-GI symptoms when cancer is not suspected. |
| Pathogens (bacterial, viral, parasitic) | Widely used, with known limits | IDSA 2017 addresses multiplex DNA-based stool pathogen panels and advises interpreting results with clinical judgment because they detect DNA, not necessarily live organisms. |
| Commensal / 'normal' bacteria and dysbiosis | Emerging | The 2025 international consensus found insufficient evidence for routine clinical microbiome testing and stated that multiplex PCR and culture cannot be considered microbiome testing (Statements 13, 32). |
| Fungi / yeast and opportunistic bacteria | Emerging | Covered by the same consensus statement on microbiome testing; we found no guideline that defines clinical use of these stool PCR targets in people without a specific infection workup. |
| Pancreatic elastase-1 | Not yet reviewed | No guideline or systematic review fetched yet. |
| Secretory IgA | Not yet reviewed | No guideline or systematic review fetched yet. |
| β-glucuronidase | Not yet reviewed | No guideline or systematic review fetched yet. |
| Steatocrit / fecal fat | Not yet reviewed | No guideline or systematic review fetched yet. |
| Fecal occult blood | Not yet reviewed | Not reviewed; note that colorectal cancer screening guidelines address specific FIT/gFOBT products, which we have not matched to this panel's assay. |
| H. pylori (stool PCR, with virulence factors) | Emerging | The 2024 ACG guideline names urea breath, fecal antigen or biopsy-based tests for confirming infection and cure; it discusses stool PCR for antibiotic-resistance mutations, not as the standard diagnostic test, and does not address virulence-factor reporting. |
| Anti-gliadin IgA (stool) | Emerging | The 2023 ACG celiac guideline bases serologic testing on blood tTG-IgA with total IgA; it does not support stool anti-gliadin antibodies for celiac testing. (Could arguably be 'Not validated' only if a source explicitly rejects stool testing; we did not find that wording.) |
| Zonulin (add-on) | Emerging | One study found a widely used commercial serum zonulin ELISA did not detect pre-haptoglobin 2 (the protein identified as zonulin); it examined a serum kit, not necessarily the stool assay. |
What it does not tell you
- The 2025 international consensus on microbiome testing found insufficient evidence to recommend routine microbiome testing in clinical practice, and stated that multiplex PCR cannot be considered microbiome testing or used as a proxy for microbiome profiling.
- The 2017 IDSA guideline advises interpreting DNA-based stool pathogen results with clinical judgment, because these assays detect DNA, not necessarily live organisms.
- For celiac disease, the 2023 ACG guideline bases testing on blood tTG-IgA, not stool anti-gliadin antibodies.
This page does not say whether anyone should take the test. Insurance and HSA/FSA rules are covered in insurance and HSA for lab tests.
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Sources
- Porcari S, et al. International consensus statement on microbiome testing in clinical practice. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2025;10(2):154-167 (Statements 13, 20 and 32). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12343204/
- Shane AL, et al. 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Infectious Diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis. 2017;65(12):e45 (Recommendation 14). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5850553/
- NICE. Faecal calprotectin diagnostic tests for inflammatory diseases of the bowel (HTG320, formerly DG11). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/htg320/chapter/1-recommendations
- Chey WD, et al. ACG Clinical Guideline: Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024;119(9):1730-1753. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000002968. https://www.ovid.com/jnls/ajg/fulltext/10.14309/ajg.0000000000002968~acg-clinical-guideline-treatment-of-helicobacter-pylori
- Rubio-Tapia A, et al. ACG Clinical Guidelines: Diagnosis and Management of Celiac Disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2023;118(1):59-76. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000002075. https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000002075
- Scheffler L, et al. Widely Used Commercial ELISA Does Not Detect Precursor of Haptoglobin2, but Recognizes Properdin as a Potential Second Member of the Zonulin Family. Front Endocrinol. 2018;9:22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00022
Evidence summaries are those on our test pages; guideline quotes checked 2026-10-21. Prices update when we re-check sellers.
Informational only, not medical advice. See about & disclaimer.
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