GI-MAP (Gastrointestinal Microbial Assay Plus)

Standard clinical stool tests typically culture for a limited set of pathogens and use visual microscopy — they are designed to detect acute infections, not assess the overall ecology of the microbiome. GI-MAP uses quantitative DNA analysis to detect and quantify hundreds of targets simultaneously, including beneficial bacteria populations, opportunistic overgrowths, inflammation markers, and intestinal permeability — none of which appear on standard stool panels. It is a fundamentally different level of analysis.

GI-MAP measures bacterial pathogens, parasites, viruses, fungi, and commensal bacteria populations — but also several critical functional markers: calprotectin and lactoferrin (intestinal inflammation), secretory IgA (gut immune response), elastase (pancreatic digestive enzyme output), beta-glucuronidase (estrogen recirculation activity), and zonulin (intestinal tight junction integrity, a leaky gut marker). Each of these informs a specific aspect of clinical intervention.

Yes — precisely. GI-MAP results allow specific, targeted recommendations: if H. pylori is elevated, a specific antimicrobial protocol is appropriate; if secretory IgA is low, immune support is targeted; if certain beneficial bacteria populations are depleted, specific probiotic strains are indicated rather than a generic probiotic. This is why SPOKEmed uses GI-MAP to guide supplementation through Fullscript rather than applying generic gut protocols.