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GI MAP

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:23 am
by schism
I recently had a GI MAP done ( https://www.diagnosticsolutionslab.com/ ). It showed that I had H.Pylori present, but not marked "high". It shows my value as 8.5e2 whereas high is >1.0e3. It also showed iceA and vacA virulence factors.

Also, both Clarithromycin and Fluoroquinolones came back positive for Helicobactor Antibiotic Resistance Genes.

I also was marked "high/overgrowth" for Pseudomonas spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

I got the GI MAP because I have some frequent burping and mild acid reflux from time to time. I don't have some other nasty symptoms some others on here have like nausea, puking, hard to eating, stomach pain, etc.

1) Is the GI MAP a good way to diagnose H.Pylori or would a GI doctor want to do some other test like a breath test first? If GI MAP is not good enough, why not? Because the GI MAP detected H.Pylori and I am experiencing some GI symptoms like burping, does that mean I should automatically treat it with antibiotics?

2) I am really concerned about antibiotic use due to resistance and superinfection. First of all, apparently my H.Pylori is resistant to both of those aforementioned antibiotics PLUS I am allergic to amoxicillin. So I believe that would leave Tetracycline and Metronidazole as options. And secondly, if I also have this Psuedomonas overgrowth, what would the antibiotics inadvertently do to that bacteria? I've heard Pseudomonas aeruginosa is very good at developing resistance to antibiotics so by throwing 2+ new antibotics into my system for H.Pylori, what risks am I taking with this other bacteria in my body?

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:22 pm
by Helico_expert
I think this is very interesting. It's definitely very advance as it is able to detect genes that correlated to antibiotic resistance.

I have to say I am not familiar with this company. it's not a standard test recommended in the guideline. I know gene detection is something that can be done. I myself is trying to create something similar.

Try go to your doctor and see if they would use this as a diagnosis test for H. pylori and give you antibiotics. Hopefully by prescribing other antibiotics will get you cured in one go.

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 5:46 am
by schism
Thanks for the reply. It is my understanding that HP can be present and show up in DNA test like the GI MAP, but it's not actually causing "infection". Is that true? Does that mean I would need something like the antigen stool test to determine if its actually causing infection?

Also, since the strain is resistant to both Clarithromycin and Fluoroquinolones plus I am allergic to amoxicillin, would Tetracycline and Metronidazole be the antibotic choice? Are these antibiotics very safe?

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:06 am
by Helico_expert
DNA testing is a very broad field. The accuracy of DNA test is really depending on how deep the analysis go down to. Some scientist just use presence or absence of particular gene by doing PCR. I find that highly inaccurate. I only trust sequencing of the piece of DNA and perhaps, also knowing the amount of the template DNA to rule out contamination from laboratory.

I think to be sure, it is better to do either breath or stool test. Endoscopy can give you more insight about the health of your stomach.

Tetracycline and Metronidazole are good choice of treatment. Perhaps you can also add Bismuth in. That becomes the PYLERA treatment.
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1479 ... al/details

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:32 pm
by schism
Wow, like every review for Pylera is that it’s horrid with tons of side effects. Who knows if it may cause lasting damage...

Are there any other options?

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:56 pm
by Helico_expert
any antibiotics can come with side effects. I dont think it's as bad as you think. quite a few members in this forum tried PYLERA and have good outcome.

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2018 5:14 am
by schism
One of the side effects of the pylera is cancer. It is strange to me to eradicate a bacteria that can cause cancer with drugs that also may end up giving you cancer.

I believe I have had HP for probably 6+ years, possibly even more like 10-15+ years. Do you think that because I don't have terrible symptoms right now that it would be most responsible to try a more natural cocktail (such as the one outlined here: https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/ ... r-products) to at least give it a shot for 1-2 months versus jumping straight to harsh antibiotics?

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:17 am
by Helico_expert
Can deny that many antibiotics are harmful to our body. However, I think you need to judge what you see from the internet with caution.

Similarly, metronidazole is a carcinogen. But it has been widely prescribed.

PYLERA has been approved by FDA, so it should be safe.

in regards to natural cocktail, there has not been very many successful outcome. It may work for some people and fail for most. The result is too inconsistent.

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2018 7:17 am
by hpylori2018
I recently completed the GI-MAP test as well, and I got high H. pylori (5.5e3, normal = 1e3) in addition to high Pseudomonas spp. and aeruginosa. It's interesting that the OP had those high too. Do those usually go hand in hand with H. pylori?

While I've heard this test is incredibly accurate, I'm also curious if that's the case for H. pylori.. I looked at the symptoms
(An ache or burning pain in your abdomen. Abdominal pain that's worse when your stomach is empty. Nausea. Loss of appetite. Frequent burping. Bloating. Unintentional weight loss.) and I don't have any of them except for bloating, which may be due to other things/parasites (for example, B. hominis was also high for me). Regarding the loss of appetite, if anything, my appetite is high as I often get sugar cravings. Is it still possible that I could have H. pylori without ulcers/all of the listed symptoms?

I've been taking mastic gum, monolaurin, probiotics and manuka honey and it seems to be helping with my digestion, so maybe it is fighting off the H. pylori? Curious what everyone's thoughts are.

Re: GI MAP

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2018 8:27 am
by Helico_expert
the amount of H. pylori does not associate with severity. all you need to know is "positive" or "negative" of H. pylori.

mastic gum, monolaurin, probiotics and manuka honey do not kill H. pylori in vivo. you can continue to take them if they make you feel better. But the root of the problem is always H. pylori and the only way to get rid of it is by antibiotics. without eradicating H. pylori, i am afraid your symptoms will always be there.