Gut Health Testing (No Blood Draw) | No Doctor's Referral | Epicentre
PCR stool test · 3 panels

Gut health testing. Map your microbiome.

Recurring digestive symptoms, food intolerances, post-antibiotic recovery, or just curious about your microbiome? Three PCR panels that map your beneficial probiotics, core flora, harmful pathogens and parasites from a simple home stool sample.

No doctor's referral 100% confidential Results 5 to 7 days Student discount
See packages ↓ How it works
Free delivery within 10km of branches · R300 nationwide · Visa, Mastercard, Instant EFT, Payflex
From
R2,500 to R5,950
payflex or 4 interest-free payments
3 panels
Essentials to deep dive
Up to 45
microbial targets
🌱 For anyone with a digestive system. Gut microbiome composition affects digestion, immunity, mood and metabolism regardless of age, gender or fitness level. The same test applies to everyone.
Pick your panel

Probiotic snapshot, full profile, or deep dive.

All three panels run PCR on a self-collected stool sample. The difference is how many organisms are screened and how much interpretive context you get back.

Gut Essentials

A probiotic baseline snapshot of your most clinically relevant beneficial gut bacteria.

R2,500

or R625 × 4 with Payflex

17 beneficial targets
  • 7 Lactobacillus species
  • 5 Bifidobacterium species
  • Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
  • Roseburia hominis, Streptococcus thermophilus
  • Ideal for probiotic-protocol monitoring
Most popular

Complete Gut Profile

The full microbiome picture: beneficial bacteria plus pathogens, parasites and H. pylori.

R4,500

or R1,125 × 4 with Payflex

45 microbial targets
  • 17 beneficial probiotics (all Essentials targets)
  • 8 core gut bacteria
  • 9 harmful pathogens
  • 5 pathogenic E. coli strains
  • 4 parasites plus Helicobacter pylori
Most comprehensive

Gut Deep Dive

Complete 45-target profile plus a Disease Association Report linking findings to potential health risks.

R5,950

or R1,488 × 4 with Payflex

45 targets + report
  • Everything in Complete Gut Profile
  • Disease Association Report
  • IBS, IBD and metabolic markers
  • Immune and mood-axis flags
  • Best choice when symptoms are unclear
Inside Complete Gut Profile

45 microbial targets in two clinical groups

A healthy gut isn't just about avoiding harm. It's about the balance between beneficial communities and disruptive ones. The Complete Profile maps both.

Beneficial & core flora 25

The probiotic and core bacterial species that build a healthy microbiome. Diverse beneficial communities support digestion, short-chain fatty acid production, immune training, and mucosal barrier integrity. Low diversity or specific deficiencies (notably Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium) are markers of dysbiosis.

7 Lactobacillus species 5 Bifidobacterium species Akkermansia muciniphila Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Roseburia hominis Streptococcus thermophilus 8 core bacteria

Pathogens, parasites & H. pylori 20

Organisms whose presence or overgrowth is linked to digestive disease, infection or dysbiosis. Identifying which specific organism is involved helps target treatment instead of guessing. Helicobacter pylori is included because it's a treatable, world-wide cause of chronic gastric symptoms.

9 harmful pathogens 5 pathogenic E. coli strains 4 parasites Helicobacter pylori

Gut Essentials covers the 17 most clinically relevant probiotic species from the beneficial group. Gut Deep Dive runs the full 45-target Complete Profile and adds a Disease Association Report interpreting findings against published health risks.

How it works

Three steps. No GP needed.

Order online, walk in, or have a home kit delivered. The clinical process is the same.

1

Choose your panel

Essentials, Complete or Deep Dive. Add to basket above. Pay online or in branch. Payflex available.

2

Collect your sample at home

A small stool sample using the kit provided. Discreet packaging, pre-paid return. Or drop off at any branch. No blood draw.

3

Get results in 5 to 7 days

Sent to you privately via your patient portal, by email or WhatsApp — your choice. Plain-language explainer included.

🌿

Gut testing isn't only for digestive symptoms

The microbiome reaches further than the gut. Mood, immunity, skin and metabolism all run on it.

When testing helps

Common reasons people order this test

  • Recurring digestive symptoms. Bloating, gas, cramping, alternating constipation and diarrhoea, food intolerances that have appeared or worsened. The PCR panel identifies whether specific pathogens or dysbiosis patterns are driving the picture.
  • After antibiotic courses. Broad-spectrum antibiotics can flatten the microbiome and take months to recover. Testing a few weeks after a course (or before, then after a probiotic protocol) maps what bounced back and what didn't.
  • Recurring fungal or yeast infections. Persistent thrush, athlete's foot, dandruff or skin issues can reflect gut Candida overgrowth. The Complete and Deep Dive panels include Candida species among the harmful organism list.
  • Suspected H. pylori infection. Chronic stomach pain, ulcers, reflux that doesn't respond to PPIs, or a family history of gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori is treatable with targeted antibiotics once detected.
  • Suspected parasite exposure. Travel to or from areas where parasitic infections are common, unexplained weight changes, or persistent symptoms after a stomach bug. The Complete and Deep Dive panels cover four parasites in the same sample.
  • Tracking a probiotic or dietary protocol. Whether a specific probiotic strain is actually colonising, or whether a dietary change is moving the microbiome in the intended direction. The Essentials Test is the most cost-effective option for serial monitoring.
25
Years serving
South Africans
100k+
Confidential tests
completed
4.7★
Cape Town & Jhb
Google rating
SANAS
Accredited lab,
GCP & GCLP certified
Common questions

Quick answers

Tap a question to expand.

If you want a probiotic baseline or are tracking the effect of a specific protocol, the Essentials Test covers the 17 most clinically relevant beneficial species. If you have recurring digestive symptoms or suspect dysbiosis, infection or parasites, the Complete Gut Profile adds pathogens, E. coli strains, parasites and H. pylori. The Deep Dive runs the same 45-target Complete panel and adds an interpretive Disease Association Report on top.
For an accurate baseline, ideally yes. Antibiotics suppress most gut bacteria so testing within 2 to 4 weeks of a course gives a distorted picture. Probiotic supplements can inflate the apparent abundance of supplemented strains. If you're testing the effect of a specific protocol, time sample collection accordingly. Speak to a healthcare provider before stopping prescribed medication.
The home kit includes a small collection container, hygiene supplies and pre-paid return packaging. You collect a small stool sample at home using the provided tools, seal it in the supplied tube, and post or drop it at any Epicentre branch. The process takes a few minutes. Full step-by-step instructions are included in the kit and on our results page.
Available with the Deep Dive panel only. It interprets your 45-target microbiome results against published associations with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, mood disorders and immune dysfunction. The report flags elevated risk markers and notes where findings are non-specific. It is not a diagnostic tool: findings should be discussed with a clinician.
PCR analysis takes 5 to 7 working days from when the lab receives the sample. Results are emailed to you, with WhatsApp delivery available on request. You receive two reports: a colour-coded plain-language summary and a standard lab report that your GP will recognise.
Yes. The home kit is self-collected. Free delivery and sample pick-up within 10km of any branch. Nationwide delivery for R300. The discreet packaging shows no Epicentre branding and no indication of the contents.
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Clinically reviewed by Dr. Samantha Naidoo, MB ChB, FCP (SA), Medical Director, Epicentre Walk-In Labs. Practice #1117394, SANAS-accredited, GCP and GCLP certified. Founded 2001.
Last reviewed: May 2026

Take the next step

Add a panel to your basket, book a branch visit, or message us if you're not sure which panel fits your situation.

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R4,500 Complete · 45 targets