Gut Microbiome Complete

The Complete keeps every organism in the standard panel and adds the functional markers your doctor needs to understand how your gut is actually working: Calprotectin (gut inflammation), SCFAs (microbial fuel production), Zonulin (intestinal permeability / leaky gut), Pancreatic Elastase 1, Beta-Glucuronidase, Steatocrit (fat malabsorption), Secretory IgA, and Transglutaminase IgA (coeliac antibody). It also includes the full H. pylori virulence panel (cagA, vacA, babA, and 5 more) plus clarithromycin-resistance genotyping. The standard test tells you who's there; the Complete tells you who's there and what they're doing.

Functional markers are biochemical readings of your gut — measured directly from your stool — that show how it's working, not just who's living in it. Calprotectin measures inflammation in the gut wall. Zonulin measures intestinal permeability (the lab marker for what's commonly called leaky gut). SCFAs tell us whether your microbes are producing the short-chain fatty acids that fuel your colon cells and regulate immunity. Pancreatic Elastase 1 tracks digestive enzyme output. Together they translate the organism list into a clinical story your doctor can act on.

The Complete is the right test if your symptoms point to active inflammation, leaky gut, suspected coeliac (Transglutaminase IgA included), fat malabsorption (Steatocrit), digestive enzyme insufficiency, suspected H. pylori — particularly if antibiotics haven't worked — or longstanding IBS-type symptoms that the standard panel hasn't fully explained. It's also our default recommendation for patients whose practitioner needs to track inflammation, sIgA, or SCFA recovery over time. For first-time microbiome testing without a specific functional question, the standard Gut Microbiome Test is usually the better starting point.

You collect a small stool sample at home using the NutriPATH kit provided — it takes under five minutes and includes step-by-step instructions, a stabiliser tube, and a pre-paid Australia Post return satchel.

The functional marker panel runs on a different lab pipeline from the qPCR organism panel — Calprotectin, Zonulin, Secretory IgA, Pancreatic Elastase, and Transglutaminase IgA are ELISA-based assays, and SCFAs are measured separately. Coordinating both pipelines onto one report adds a few business days. Your Complete report typically arrives 10–12 business days after the lab receives your sample.

An elevated Calprotectin (above 50 µg/g) suggests active inflammation in the gut wall and is one of the markers used to flag inflammatory bowel disease — though many other things can raise it, including infection, NSAIDs, and recent gastro. An elevated Zonulin suggests increased intestinal permeability (the lab signal for what's commonly called leaky gut), which can correlate with food sensitivities, autoimmune flares, and chronic dysbiosis. These markers are directional, not diagnostic — your Microbiome Doctor™ interprets them alongside your symptoms, the organism panel, and any other lab work you bring.

For the most accurate microbiome read, wait at least 4 weeks after finishing antibiotics and 2 weeks after stopping probiotics. If you're testing specifically to evaluate post-antibiotic damage or probiotic effectiveness, those windows can be different — speak with our patient care team for guidance.

Your report can be reviewed by a Microbiome Doctor™ at The Microbiome Clinic™ — they translate the organism panel and the functional markers into a personalised plan that takes your symptoms, medical history, diet, medications, and lifestyle into account. Your report is a NATA-accredited pathology document (accreditation #20770) that you can also share with your GP or specialist. Note: the GIT functional markers (Calprotectin, Zonulin, sIgA, etc.) are reported under the lab's standard methodology but sit outside its NATA accreditation scope — this is normal for these assays.