Gut microbiome test for kids: gut flora analysis in five age stages
Beyond a simple gut test. Your child’s entire microbiome decoded & analyzed.
With Microbiome 360° Gut Kids, Bactera offers one of the most advanced gut microbiome analyses for children available. Conventional tests read only single genes. We decode the entire DNA of one stool sample using shotgun sequencing and identify bacteria, fungi and clinically relevant organisms down to species level, compared with healthy children of the same developmental stage.
The sample is analyzed in-house in Germany, using advanced bioinformatics and the highest scientific standards. The result is a comprehensive view of your child’s microbiome: maturity for age, diversity, functional potential and other key areas of your child’s health.
One test. 360° analysis. Complete DNA. Deeper insights.
- Microbiome maturity for your child’s own age stage
- Diversity, dominance and ecosystem balance for age
- Stage specific key microbes with context labels
- Functional potential read from the genes themselves
- Milk adaptation, Bifidobacterium ecology and HMO utilisation (infant)
- Ecological transition and cross feeding network (toddler)
- Fibre ecosystem, gut barrier and bile acid biology (preschool)
- Resilience, protein fermentation and gas ecology (school age)
- Fibre and protein balance, methane production (adolescent)
- Age adjusted screening for clinically relevant organisms
- Fungal panel with three yeasts, reported for age
- Antibiotic resistance genes, read as a level for age
- Personalised, age appropriate action plan
- Full organism list, FASTQ files and raw abundances
- Lifetime access to our DNA bank with free re-analysis
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Product: Microbiome 360° Gut Kids
Microbiome 360° Gut Kids is still in development
The analysis and the report are not in their final form yet and may still change until release. The following sections show how the report could look and which analyses we perform.
One stool sample, read against your child’s age
The gut community of a five month old baby looks nothing like that of a nine year old. That is why we compare every value with healthy children of the same age stage and report the analyses that matter at that stage.
The same value means something different at 5 months and at 9 years. Every measure is compared with healthy children of the same developmental stage, in five age stages from 0 to 17 years.
Shotgun metagenomics identifies what is actually there, down to the species, including Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and the yeasts of the fungal panel, in the same sequencing run.
Milk sugar digestion, fibre fermentation, butyrate and the other capacities are read from the genes themselves, together with the organisms that carry them.
FASTQ files and raw abundances remain available for download, and the stored sample can be reanalysed as your child grows and as the science advances.
What you get: a report that explains your child’s gut instead of just counting
For every value you see the comparison with healthy children of the same age stage, what it means and what to do next. Use the report interactively in the portal or download it.
- Interactive in the portalDesktop and mobile, available at any time at my.bactera.de. You can download the report and share it, for example with your paediatrician.
- Highest scientific standardVery deep analysis with 10 million paired-end reads per sample, read against age matched references. On request we increase the sequencing depth to 25 million reads: contact us before ordering via our contact page or info@bactera.de.
- Raw data includedFASTQ files and abundance tables to download
Every age stage opens with its own four headline findings. Switch the stage in the analyses below to see the other examples.
What Microbiome 360° Gut Kids covers
Choose the age stage of your child and the analyses change with it: every stage has its own reference values, its own key microbes and its own report sections.
At a glance
The headline findings from your baby's stool, compared with healthy children of the same developmental stage. Overall picture: an age-appropriate, milk-adapted community with the key infant organism B. infantis present and a strong milk-digestion capacity.
| Signal | Your baby's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Microbiome maturity | 4.9 mo | Developing as expected |
| Milk-Adaptation Index | P76 | Strong for age |
| HMO-utilization capacity | P78 | High for age |
| Butyrate (fibre) capacity | P8 | Normal before weaning |
Microbiome maturity
How closely your baby's community matches the degree of development expected at 5 months, the flagship developmental measure. It matches healthy breastfed infants of about 5 months: a milk-oriented, low-diversity, Bifidobacterium-rich community is exactly what we expect now.
| Signal | Your baby's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Maturity estimate | 4.9 mo | As expected at 5 months |
| Community shape for age | milk-oriented | Low diversity, Bifidobacterium-rich |
Diversity & dominance for age
How varied and how concentrated your baby's community is, compared with healthy children of the same age. Low absolute diversity is normal and healthy at 5 months, and high single-genus dominance is the signature of a healthy milk-fed gut.
Milk adaptation
Whether your baby's community has organised itself around breast milk, the defining feature of a healthy infant gut. It is strongly milk-adapted: Bifidobacterium-dominated, low in oxygen-tolerant pioneers, and carrying the milk-sugar machinery.
Bifidobacterium ecology
The keystone genus of the infant gut, resolved to species, because each one means something different. Four species are present, and which ones are there tells a story about how well the milk-sugar machinery is established.
HMO functional profile
What your baby's community is genetically equipped to do with the sugars in breast milk, the flagship infant function. Your baby carries the full set of milk-sugar genes, led by an efficient, competitive B. infantis strategy.
SCFA & cross-feeding
The short-chain fatty acids your baby's community is equipped to make, and how the microbes feed one another. A healthy milk-phase fermentation pattern: plenty of acetate and lactate from Bifidobacteria, with the fibre-and-butyrate machinery still ahead.
Early colonization ecology
How your baby's gut is progressing through the orderly hand-over from pioneer organisms to the anaerobes of a mature community. The pioneers are present and receding, which is exactly the healthy pattern.
Immune-tolerance ecology
Microbial features that research associates with early immune education. Tolerance-associated features are well represented for your baby's age.
| Signal | Your baby's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Immune-development support | Well represented | Abundant Bifidobacteria and high milk-sugar-digestion capacity |
| Immune-tolerance ecology | Present for age | Early lactate and acetate cross-feeding, on-track maturation |
| Allergy-associated pattern | Present in the sample | Faecalibacterium, Veillonella, Rothia and Bifidobacteria, described as a pattern |
Antibiotic impact
Whether your baby's community shows the signature of a recent antibiotic course. It shows the abundant Bifidobacteria, low oxygen-tolerant pioneers and low resistance-gene load we expect in a healthy, antibiotic-naive infant.
| Signal | Your baby's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Antibiotic-disruption signature | Absent | Healthy, antibiotic-naive pattern |
| Bifidobacteria | Abundant | The expected infant picture |
| Resistance-gene load | Low | Normal for an infant |
Key microbes for this stage
The five organisms and capacities most meaningful for a 5-month-old. These change as children grow, so the highlights here are specific to this developmental stage.
Your child's microbial profile
The age-appropriate organisms in your baby's sample, grouped by their role. Milk-sugar Bifidobacteria are shown for infants; fibre and bile-acid organisms come later.
| Group | Shown | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · HMO utilizers & Bifidobacteria | 4 | The engine of a healthy infant gut |
| 2 · Early-life colonizers | 3 | The oxygen-tolerant pioneers that hand the gut over to the anaerobes |
| 3 · Bacteroides generalists | 2 | Early anaerobes that help train the immune system |
| 4 · Emerging anaerobes | 2 | The fibre-and-butyrate community of later childhood |
| 5 · Opportunists (context) | 2 | Normal residents of an infant gut |
| 6 · Fungi / yeasts | 1 | A tiny, normal part of the community |
Screening, fungi & resistance genes
Detection-only checks, with reporting adjusted for age. Yeasts such as Candida live in many healthy children's guts, and resistance genes are naturally present in every baby's gut from birth.
| Check | Your baby's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Microbial screening | Clear for age | C. difficile is reported from age 2, since carriage is very common in healthy babies |
| Candida albicans | Detected | Detected in about 60 % of healthy infants |
| Antibiotic-resistance genes | Normal for age | Carried by ordinary gut bacteria, seeded from mother and environment |
Development & nutrition insights
Biologically interesting interpretation of your baby's result. The milk-adapted community is developing beautifully, and the strong milk-sugar-digestion capacity supports energy and immune development from breast milk.
| Insight | Your baby's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Nutritional development | Developing beautifully | Strong milk-sugar-digestion capacity supports energy and immune development |
| Digestive fermentation profile | Healthy milk-phase pattern | Plenty of acetate and lactate from Bifidobacteria |
| Gut barrier & colonization resistance | Establishing normally | Bifidobacterial acidification and low oxygen-tolerant pioneers |
Personalized action plan
Steps matched to your baby's age and result: supportive, everyday suggestions. For infants especially, follow your pediatrician's feeding guidance.
| Step | Type | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Keep going: continue breastfeeding as you and your pediatrician plan | Maintain | Breast milk is what sustains B. infantis and HMO-digestion capacity |
| Introduce complementary foods on your pediatrician's schedule | When the time comes | Around 4 to 6 months, first foods begin the shift toward a fibre-fermenting community |
| Your baby already carries the key infant organisms | Maintain | Including a genuine B. infantis; ask your pediatrician with any questions |
At a glance
The headline findings from your child's stool, compared with healthy children of the same developmental stage. Overall picture: a healthy toddler mid-transition, where the milk-adapted community has handed over to a fibre-fermenting one, the butyrate network is established and on track, and colonization resistance is strong.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Maturation for age | 2.6 y | Progressing well, on schedule |
| Butyrate-maker capacity | P57 | Established for age |
| Fibre & carbohydrate breadth | P48 | Good for age, with room to widen |
| Gatekeeper community | P64 | Strong colonization resistance |
Microbiome maturity
How closely your child's community matches the degree of development expected at 2.5 years, the flagship developmental measure. It matches healthy children of about 2.5 years, and the post-weaning shift toward a fibre-fermenting, more diverse community is well underway.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Maturity estimate | 2.6 y | Developing as expected at 2.5 years |
| Community shape for age | fibre-fermenting | Right on schedule for a 30-month-old |
Diversity & dominance for age
How varied and how concentrated your child's community is, compared with healthy children of the same age. At 2.5 years, rising diversity and a falling Bifidobacterium share are the healthy pattern, as the milk-adapted ecosystem gives way to a fibre-fermenting one.
Ecological transition
How your child's gut is progressing through the post-weaning hand-over from a milk-adapted community to a fibre-fermenting one. The infant milk-sugar specialists have receded, and adult-type anaerobes (butyrate-makers, starch specialists, acetogens) have moved in.
Key microbes for this stage
The five organisms and capacities most meaningful for a 2.5-year-old. These change as children grow, so the highlights here are specific to the post-weaning transition.
SCFA & cross-feeding network
The short-chain fatty acids your child's community is equipped to make, and how the microbes feed one another. For a toddler the story is butyrate now emerging: the fibre-fermenting network has arrived.
Fibre & starch utilization
What your child's community is genetically equipped to do with the fibres and starches in family food. Good for age and broad enough to support a healthy fermentation economy, with a little room to widen as the diet varies.
Colonization resistance
Whether your child's community is organised to resist gate-crashing organisms, the gatekeeper function. Three things line up: obligate anaerobes dominate the gut, Enterobacteriaceae are low, and emerging butyrate keeps the gut lining well-fed.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Colonization resistance | P64 | Strong for age |
| Obligate : facultative anaerobe ratio | Anaerobes dominate | The established-community pattern |
| Enterobacteriaceae | Low | Gate-crashers kept low |
| Butyrate capacity | P57 | Emerging butyrate keeps the environment unwelcoming to invaders |
Immune development
Microbial features that research associates with immune education, described for your child's age. Features associated with a settled immune environment are present.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Immune-development support | Present for age | An established butyrate network, good colonization resistance and rising diversity |
| Allergy-associated pattern | Present in the sample | Faecalibacterium, Roseburia and Bifidobacteria, described as a pattern |
| Immune-tolerance ecology | Present for age | Butyrate production, low-immunogenicity Bacteroides, on-track maturation |
Antibiotic recovery
Whether your child's community shows the signature of a recent antibiotic course. It shows the established anaerobes, low Enterobacteriaceae and normal-for-age resistance-gene load we expect in a healthy toddler with no recent antibiotics.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Antibiotic-disruption signature | Absent | Healthy toddler pattern, with no sign of a recent course |
| Established anaerobes | Present | The expected toddler picture |
| Resistance-gene load | Normal for age | Normal for a toddler with no recent antibiotics |
Your child's microbial profile
The age-appropriate organisms in your child's sample, grouped by their role. For a toddler that means the fibre-and-butyrate core, starch specialists, and the adult-type Bifidobacteria that replace the infant ones.
| Group | Shown | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Butyrate & fibre core | 5 | The fibre-fermenting, butyrate-making engine of the post-weaning gut |
| 2 · Starch & glycan specialists | 4 | The organisms that unlock resistant starch and a broad range of plant and mucin sugars |
| 3 · Bifidobacteria, adult transition | 3 | The adult-type B. adolescentis rises as the infant species recede |
| 4 · Cross-feeding & acetogens | 3 | Acetogens, lactate hubs and propionate cross-feeders |
| 5 · Opportunists (context) | 2 | Normal residents of a toddler gut, watched for persistence and load |
| 6 · Fungi / yeasts | 1 | A tiny, normal part of the community, reported as presence only |
Screening, fungi & resistance genes
Detection-only checks, with reporting adjusted for age. Yeasts such as Candida live in many healthy children's guts, and resistance genes are naturally present in every child's gut, carried by ordinary gut bacteria.
| Check | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Microbial screening | Clear for age | C. difficile is reported from age 2 and was not detected in the sample |
| Candida albicans | Detected | Detected in many healthy toddlers |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae | Not detected | Reported as presence only |
| Antibiotic-resistance genes | Normal for age | Seeded from family and environment, normal for a toddler |
Development & nutrition insights
Biologically interesting interpretation of your child's result. The community has made the post-weaning shift to fibre and family food, with an established butyrate network and the resistant-starch keystone present.
| Insight | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Nutritional development | Post-weaning shift made | A gut equipped to extract energy and metabolites from a varied plant diet |
| Digestive fermentation profile | Healthy toddler pattern | A steady acetate base, present propionate, an established butyrate network and a working lactate food chain |
| Gut barrier & colonization resistance | Strong gatekeeper community | Established anaerobes, low Enterobacteriaceae and emerging butyrate |
Personalized action plan
Steps matched to your child's age and result: supportive, everyday suggestions. Follow your pediatrician's guidance over anything here.
| Step | Type | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Broaden fibre variety, aim for a wide range of plant foods | Medium | Whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit, plus cooked-and-cooled starches that feed R. bromii |
| Keep diversity climbing with family food | Maintain | A broad, varied family diet keeps the new fibre-fermenting community expanding |
| Use antibiotics sensibly, when genuinely needed | Maintain | Avoiding unnecessary courses helps protect the butyrate network and colonization resistance |
At a glance
The headline findings from your child's stool, compared with healthy children of the same developmental stage. Overall picture: a mature, well-balanced fibre-fermenting community with a strong, broad fibre engine, high SCFA capacity and a clear plant-diverse diet signature.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem balance for age | P71 | Well balanced for age |
| Fibre-fermentation breadth | P74 | Strong & broad for age |
| SCFA output capacity | P73 | High for age |
| Diet-pattern signature | P72 | Plant-diverse for age |
Microbiome maturity
How closely your child's community matches the degree of development expected at 5 years, the flagship developmental measure. It matches healthy children of about 5 years: a fibre-oriented, adult-type community with an established butyrate core and broad glycan degraders.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Maturity estimate | ~5.1 y | Developing as expected |
| Community shape for age | fibre-oriented | Adult-type, with an established butyrate core |
| Position in the typical band | as expected | Squarely within the typical range for age |
Diversity & ecosystem balance for age
How varied your child's community is and how well organised it is for a 5-year-old. Diversity is solid and still rising at 5 years, and the balance composite sits comfortably in the well-balanced range for age.
Key microbes for this stage
The organisms and capacities most meaningful for a 5-year-old. By preschool the keystones have shifted from the milk-loving Bifidobacteria of infancy to the fibre-fermenting, butyrate-making community of later childhood.
Fibre-fermentation ecosystem
What your child's community is genetically equipped to do with dietary plant fibre, sub-substrate by sub-substrate. Different plant fibres need different enzymes and different microbes, and a mature gut can ferment a broad range of them.
SCFA & cross-feeding network
The short-chain fatty acids your child's community is equipped to make, and how the microbes feed one another. Different SCFAs come from different organisms via different routes, so we report each capacity separately.
Gut-barrier & mucin balance
Microbial features that support a healthy gut lining, read as balance. Your child's community is fibre-first, with Akkermansia muciniphila present at a healthy level and M. gnavus quietly low.
Bile-acid biology
What your child's community is equipped to do with bile acids: an early step well established, a later step just emerging. At 5 years the secondary-bile-acid capacity is typically just emerging and builds through later childhood.
Vitamin & indole capacities
Two capacity reads for host-relevant molecules: indole signals made from dietary tryptophan, and how broadly your child's microbes carry the genes for a few informative B-vitamins. Microbial vitamin synthesis supplements dietary intake.
Colonization resistance
How well equipped your child's community is to resist opportunists, a descriptive ecosystem property. Abundant fibre-fermenters use up the available resources, butyrate and acetate keep the colon lightly acidic, and pressure-associated organisms sit quietly at low levels.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Colonization resistance (composite) | P73 | Strong for age, a well-defended community |
| Butyrate & SCFA output | P72 | High for age, a lightly acidified colon |
| Klebsiella pneumoniae | P44 | Typical for age, at a normal low level |
| Clostridioides difficile | Clear | Reported as detection-only from age 2 |
Dietary ecology
The dietary pattern your child's community reflects, described from microbial signals. Broad CAZyme breadth, a saccharolytic lean over proteolytic metabolism and healthy plant-fibre specialists point together to a varied, plant-forward diet.
Your child's microbial profile
The age-appropriate organisms in your child's sample, grouped by their role. By preschool the panel is the fibre-fermenting, glycan-degrading community of later childhood.
| Group | Shown | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Fibre-fermenting butyrate core | 5 | The engine of a school-age gut, making the preferred fuel of the colon lining |
| 2 · Complex-carbohydrate specialists | 6 | Broad glycan degraders and resistant-starch keystones |
| 3 · Mucus & barrier | 2 | Organisms that live at the mucus layer, read as balance |
| 4 · Cross-feeding network | 3 | The metabolic connectors passing acetate, succinate and lactate around |
| 5 · Bifidobacteria (adult-type) | 2 | Starch- and fibre-oriented, the Bifidobacteria of later childhood |
| 6 · Opportunists (context) | 2 | Normal residents, watched for persistence and load |
| 7 · Fungi / yeasts | 1 | A tiny, normal part of the community, reported as presence |
Screening, fungi & resistance genes
Detection-only checks, with reporting adjusted for age. Yeasts such as Candida live in many healthy children's guts, and resistance genes are a natural part of every child's gut, carried by ordinary bacteria.
| Check | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Microbial screening | Clear | C. difficile is reported as detection-only from age 2, and this sample is clear |
| Candida albicans | Detected | Detected in many healthy children |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae | Detected | A common diet and environment associated yeast, such as baker's or brewer's yeast |
| Antibiotic-resistance genes | Normal for age | Carried by ordinary bacteria and picked up from food and the environment |
Development & nutrition insights
Biologically interesting interpretation of your child's result. A mature, fibre-fermenting ecosystem with strong SCFA capacity: microbial support for energy harvest and gut health from a varied, plant-forward diet.
| Insight | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Nutritional development | Mature & fibre-fermenting | Strong SCFA capacity supports energy harvest from a varied, plant-forward diet |
| Digestive fermentation profile | Strong & broad | Resistant starch, arabinoxylan, β-glucan, pectin and fructan feed a well-connected cross-feeding network |
| Immune homeostasis (descriptive) | Well represented for age | Abundant butyrate producers, good indole and AhR-ligand capacity, low pressure-associated organisms |
Personalized action plan
Steps matched to your child's age and result: supportive, everyday suggestions. This profile is healthy, so the steps are maintenance-oriented.
| Step | Type | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the plant-diverse diet going | Maintain | A variety of vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and legumes across the week |
| Keep fibre variety broad | Maintain | Rotate resistant starch, wholegrains, oats and barley, fruit and vegetables, onion, garlic and chicory |
| Use antibiotics only when your pediatrician advises | Sensible use | A mature fibre-fermenting community like this one typically recovers well |
At a glance
The headline findings from your child's stool, compared with healthy children of the same developmental stage. Overall picture: a balanced, adult-type community that is developing on schedule, with one clear and workable theme, a lower-fibre pattern that gently pulls down butyrate and nudges up mucin-reliance.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem balance for age | P56 | Balanced for age |
| Butyrate & fibre fermentation | P28 | A little low for age, the most actionable finding |
| Resilience / redundancy | P46 | Moderate for age, a workable backup margin |
| Mucin-reliance | P71 | Slightly elevated, eases as fibre variety grows |
Microbiome maturity
How closely your child's community matches the degree of development expected at 9 years, the flagship developmental measure. It matches the mature, adult-type community expected of a healthy school-age child, with fibre-fermenting and bile-acid organisms established.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Maturity for age | Within range | Within typical range for age |
| Community shape | Adult-type | The milk-oriented infant pattern is long behind |
| How it is read at school age | A band, not a year | From about 6 years maturity is reported as a typical range |
Diversity & ecosystem balance for age
How varied your child's community is and how it is organised, compared with healthy children of the same age. Diversity is solid for a 9-year-old, and the community is broadly balanced and adult-type with a mild tilt toward a lower-fibre configuration.
Ecosystem resilience & functional redundancy
Whether your child's community has enough overlap, independent organisms covering the same key jobs, to absorb a knock and bounce back. There is a moderate number of backups: enough for a workable safety margin, with room to widen it by broadening fibre.
Key microbes for this stage
The five organisms and capacities most meaningful for a 9-year-old. At school age the spotlight is on the fibre-fermenting, butyrate-making community and the balance between fibre and mucus.
Fibre fermentation & resistant starch
What your child's community is genetically equipped to do with dietary fibre, the flagship school-age function. The fibre toolkit is a little narrow for age, consistent with a smaller range of plant fibres reaching the gut.
SCFA network
The short-chain fatty acids your child's community is equipped to make, read as one connected food web. Acetate, propionate and lactate handling are all typical, and butyrate is the low link, the actionable lever in this profile.
Mucin / fibre-mucus and protein balance
Whether your child's community is leaning on dietary fibre or on the gut's mucus layer for fuel, and how much protein it ferments. Both are sensitive read-outs of fibre intake, and both move in the healthy direction as the variety of plant fibres increases.
Bile-acid metabolism
Whether your child's community has matured into the bile-acid chemistry of an older child, an adult-transition milestone. Secondary-bile-acid genes are now present, a normal maturation milestone that also supports colonization resistance.
Tryptophan, indole & microbial vitamins
The signalling molecules and B-vitamins your child's community carries genes for. Indole-family capacity and the microbial folate, B12 and biotin capacities are all typical for age.
Gas ecology: methane & sulfur
How your child's community handles the gases of fermentation, including a maturation marker that appears at school age. The archaeal methanogen Methanobrevibacter smithii is newly detected, and hydrogen-sulfide potential is modest for age.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Methane: Methanobrevibacter smithii | Newly detected | A normal maturation marker, prevalence climbs through childhood |
| Hydrogen-sulfide potential | P42 | Modest for age, a diet-linked read-out, framed neutrally |
| Gas ecology overall | Maturing | Methanogens and sulfur organisms shape how the gut handles hydrogen |
Your child's microbial profile
The age-appropriate organisms in your child's sample, grouped by their role. At school age the meaningful players are the fibre-fermenting butyrate community, the carbohydrate specialists and the maturing adult-transition organisms.
| Group | Shown | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Butyrate & SCFA producers | 4 | The fibre-fermenting engine of a school-age gut, the central thread of this report |
| 2 · Complex-carbohydrate specialists | 4 | Glycan generalists and starch specialists, well represented |
| 3 · Mucus & barrier | 1 | Favourable in balance, leaning on the mucus layer when fibre is scarce |
| 4 · Adult-transition specialists | 2 | Bile-acid chemistry and the archaeal methanogen, appearing on schedule |
| 5 · Bifidobacteria | 2 | Adult-type starch and fructan fermenters, well established for age |
| 6 · Opportunists (context) | 2 | Normal low-level residents, watched for persistence and load |
| 7 · Fungi / yeasts | 1 | A tiny, normal part of the community, reported as presence only |
Colonization resistance, screening & fungi
Whether your child's community is organised to keep opportunists in check, together with the detection-only checks, adjusted for age. The gatekeeper community is adequate for age and provides sound colonization resistance.
| Check | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Gatekeeper community | Adequate for age | A diverse anaerobic community, SCFA acidification and maturing bile-acid chemistry |
| Pathobiont pressure | Normal, low for age | Enterobacteriaceae sit at a normal, low level, a surveillance read-out |
| Microbial screening | Clear for age | C. difficile is reported detection-only at this age and was clear in this sample |
| Candida albicans | Detected | Detected in about 30 % of healthy school-age children |
| Antibiotic-resistance genes | Normal for age | Carried by ordinary bacteria, seeded from food and environment |
Development & nutrition insights
Biologically interesting interpretation of your child's result. The community is mature and adult-type, developing on schedule, and the one clear theme, a lower-fibre pattern, is genuinely actionable.
| Insight | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Nutritional development | Mature, adult-type | Broadening the range of plant fibres feeds the butyrate-making organisms directly |
| Digestive fermentation profile | Lower-fibre signature | Acetate, propionate and lactate typical, butyrate low, mucin-reliance slightly up |
| Digestive & gas note | Maturation marker | The newly detected methanogen M. smithii is reported neutrally |
Personalized action plan
Steps matched to your child's age and result: supportive, everyday suggestions. Each one is tied to the driver in the profile it addresses.
| Step | Type | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Broaden the range of plant fibres, whole grains and resistant-starch foods | High | Cooled cooked potato and rice, legumes and slightly-green bananas feed R. bromii; whole grains, vegetables and fruit feed F. prausnitzii, Roseburia and Agathobacter |
| Diversify the plants across the week, aim for variety rather than perfection | Medium | A wider range of plant foods widens the fibre toolkit and thickens the butyrate bench |
| Keep antibiotics for when they are genuinely needed | Maintain | Protects the fibre-fermenting community and the resilience margin; always follow your pediatrician's advice |
At a glance
The headline findings from your child's stool, compared with healthy adolescents of the same age and sex. Overall picture: a mature, adult-range community with strong fibre-fermentation and SCFA capacity, and one clear, actionable theme, pairing a higher-protein diet with generous fibre.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem balance for age | P66 | Mature, adult-range |
| Butyrate production | P74 | Strong for age |
| Fibre ÷ protein balance | P42 | Protein-leaning, add fibre |
| Functional redundancy | P73 | Resilient |
Microbiome maturity
How closely your child's community matches the degree of development expected by mid-adolescence, the flagship developmental measure, read as a range at this age. It sits within the adult-typical range: the fibre, SCFA, bile-acid and methane suites are all established.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Maturity for age | Adult-range | Within the adult-typical range expected by mid-adolescence |
| Community shape for age | Mature | Compared with healthy adolescents of the same sex, the community reads as mature |
| Suites established | Fibre, SCFA, bile acids, methane | From about age 6, maturity is read as a range rather than a moving clock |
Diversity & ecosystem balance
How varied your child's community is compared with healthy adolescents of the same age and sex, and how well it absorbs everyday disturbances. A solid, mature diversity with a broad species roster, in a balanced, adult-range ecosystem.
Key microbes for this stage
The five organisms most meaningful for an adolescent. By this age the highlights are the fibre-and-butyrate keystones, the glycan generalists and the later-maturation markers, a very different set from the milk organisms of infancy.
SCFA network
The short-chain fatty acids your child's community is equipped to make, and how the microbes feed one another. A mature, well-connected network: strong acetate and butyrate, steady propionate, and lactate that is made and consumed.
Fibre fermentation
What your child's community is genetically equipped to do with dietary fibre, the fuel behind the SCFA engine. The machinery is good and broad, and the most useful thing for this result is simply to keep the engine well fed.
Protein fermentation
What your child's community is equipped to do with protein that reaches the colon, read as balance and framed in context. Proteolytic capacity is a little elevated, consistent with a higher-protein, athletic diet.
Fibre-protein balance
The flagship adolescent readout: where the fermentation balance sits, and the one change that moves it most. Your child's community is capable on both sides, and the balance currently leans protein, an expected pattern on a higher-protein athletic diet and a very fixable one.
Bile-acid metabolism
Your child's capacity to transform bile acids, a late-maturing suite that reaches adult range by adolescence. Both steps are present and mature, a normal marker of this developmental stage that supports colonization resistance.
Tryptophan, indole & sulfur
Two diet-linked capacities: making indole signals from dietary tryptophan, and generating hydrogen sulfide from sulfur-containing amino acids and dietary sulfate. Indole capacity is typical for age, and sulfide potential is moderate, in keeping with a higher-protein omnivorous diet.
Methane production
Whether your child carries the methane-producing archaeon, a normal, neutral feature by adolescence. Methanobrevibacter smithii is present in the sample, and its prevalence rises through childhood, so detection is usual by the teens.
| Signal | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Methanobrevibacter smithii | Detected | Usual by adolescence, often the majority of teenagers carry it |
| Methanogenesis capacity | P57 | Present, normal for age |
| Why we report it | Neutral, informative | Methane can influence gas and stool patterns, so it is relevant to everyday digestion |
Metabolic ecology & nutrition insights
A descriptive read of how your child's community processes an omnivorous, athletic diet. A coherent, healthy adolescent pattern: a strong fibre-and-SCFA engine, a mildly protein-leaning balance, moderate sulfur potential and a normal methanogen.
| Insight | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Fermentation ecology | Coherent omnivorous pattern | Strong fibre-and-SCFA engine with a mildly protein-leaning balance |
| Nutritional & functional capacity | Solid and strong | A solid fibre-fermentation toolkit and a strong SCFA engine, the functional signs of a varied, plant-inclusive diet |
| Digestive function | Ordinary teenage features | M. smithii present and normal by adolescence, with moderate, diet-linked sulfur potential |
Your child's microbial profile
The age-appropriate organisms in your child's sample, grouped by their role. For an adolescent the meaningful cast is the fibre-and-butyrate guild, the glycan generalists, the later-maturation specialists and the mucus and cross-feeding organisms.
| Group | Shown | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Butyrate & SCFA producers | 5 | The engine of a mature gut: fibre fermenters and lactate users |
| 2 · Bacteroides / Segatella generalists | 4 | Broad glycan degraders and a stable backbone of the adult-type community |
| 3 · Later-maturation & specialists | 4 | The adult-type Bifidobacterium, the bile-acid and methane specialists |
| 4 · Mucus & cross-feeding | 3 | Organisms at the mucus interface that knit the fermentation network together |
| 5 · Opportunists (context) | 2 | Normal low-level residents, reported for context |
| 6 · Fungi / yeasts | 2 | A tiny, normal part of the community |
Screening, fungi & resistance genes
Detection-only checks, with reporting adjusted for age. Yeasts such as Candida live in many healthy children's guts, and resistance genes are a natural part of every gut community, carried by ordinary bacteria.
| Check | Your child's result | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Microbial screening | Clear for age | C. difficile is reported detection-only in adolescents, and the screening was clear |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae | Detected | Usually dietary, from breads and fermented foods |
| Antibiotic-resistance genes | Normal adult range | Carried by ordinary gut bacteria, and within the normal adult range for an adolescent |
Personalized action plan
Steps matched to your child's age and result: supportive, everyday suggestions. The headline is simple: keep the protein, add the fibre.
| Step | Type | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Pair your child's protein with generous fibre | Balance | Whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) and plenty of vegetables and fruit feed the fibre side of the balance directly |
| Keep diversity high with a wide-ranging, minimally-processed diet | Maintain | Variety keeps the fibre-fermenting and butyrate-making guilds well fed and the ecosystem redundant and stable |
| Use antibiotics sensibly, when genuinely needed | Maintain | A resilient adolescent community recovers well from everyday disturbances; use them when a clinician indicates them |
What the community means for your child at this stage
Here we show what the community means for your child right now: immune development, colonisation resistance, the gut barrier and everyday nutrition signals, each with the signals behind it and matched to the selected age stage.
Immune development
Well represented- Abundant Bifidobacteria
- High milk-sugar-digestion capacity (P78)
- Genetic capacity for indole-3-lactic acid via B. infantis
Immune-tolerance ecology
Present for age- Early lactate and acetate cross-feeding
- On-track anaerobic maturation (P62)
- Low-immunogenicity Bacteroides (P44)
Antibiotic impact
Antibiotic-naive pattern- Abundant Bifidobacteria
- Low oxygen-tolerant pioneers
- Low resistance-gene load, normal for an infant
Gut barrier & colonization resistance
Establishing normally- Bifidobacterial acidification
- Low oxygen-tolerant pioneers
- Healthy milk-phase acetate and lactate
Immune development
Present for age- An established butyrate network (P57)
- Good colonization resistance (P64)
- Rising diversity for age (P58)
Colonization resistance
Strong for age- Obligate anaerobes dominate the gut
- Enterobacteriaceae are low
- Emerging butyrate keeps the gut lining well-fed
Antibiotic recovery
No disruption signature- Established anaerobes
- Low Enterobacteriaceae
- Normal-for-age resistance-gene load
Digestive fermentation profile
Healthy toddler pattern- A steady acetate base (P61)
- Present propionate (P56)
- A working lactate cross-feeding food chain (P58)
Gut barrier & mucin balance
Balanced for age- Butyrate fuel for the gut lining (P72)
- Mucin turnover balance (P55)
- Akkermansia balanced, M. gnavus low (P32)
Tryptophan & indole metabolism
Good for age- Tryptophan to indole and AhR-ligand capacity (P65)
- Tryptophanase and aromatic amino-acid pathways
- Indole-3-lactic acid capacity still somewhat elevated, a normal transitional feature
Colonization resistance
Strong for age- Composite colonization resistance (P73)
- Dense fibre-fermenting core and strong SCFA output
- Pressure-associated organisms quietly low, Klebsiella at P44
Dietary ecology
Plant-diverse for age- Diet-Pattern Signature (P72)
- Broad CAZyme breadth (P74)
- Saccharolytic lean over proteolytic metabolism
Tryptophan & indole metabolism
Typical for age- Tryptophan to indole capacity (P50)
- Tryptophanase (tnaA) and indole-lactate pathways
- Carried by a diverse set of taxa
Gas ecology: methane & sulfur
Maturing on schedule- Methanobrevibacter smithii newly detected
- Hydrogen-sulfide potential modest for age (P42)
- Prevalence of methanogens climbs through childhood
Colonization resistance
Sound for age- A diverse anaerobic gatekeeper community
- SCFA acidification of the gut
- Maturing secondary-bile-acid chemistry (P44)
Development & nutrition
Mature, adult-type- Developing on schedule for 9 years
- A lower-fibre pattern, the actionable theme
- Butyrate and mucin-reliance both respond to broader plant fibre
Fermentation ecology
Coherent omnivorous pattern- Strong fibre-and-SCFA engine (P74 butyrate)
- Mildly protein-leaning balance (P42)
- Moderate sulfur potential and a normal methanogen
Nutritional & functional capacity
Solid and strong- Solid fibre-fermentation toolkit (P69)
- Strong SCFA engine, the sign of a varied, plant-inclusive diet
- Protein fermentation mildly elevated (P72)
Digestive function
Ordinary teenage features- M. smithii present, normal by adolescence
- Methane relevant to gas and stool patterns, neutral
- Sulfur potential moderate and diet-linked (P55)
Gut barrier & colonization resistance
Mature capacity- Bile-salt hydrolase capacity mature for age (P63)
- Secondary-bile-acid capacity present and mature (P58)
- Tryptophan to indole capacity typical for age (P61)
What your child’s gut community is genetically equipped to do
Here the question shifts from which bacteria are present to what they can do. Every panel estimates a capacity from the genes we detect and names the organisms behind it. The panels change with the age stage, because the community’s tasks change as your child grows.
Breast milk is full of special sugars, the human-milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). This panel shows which parts of the milk-sugar machinery your baby's community carries.
Complete milk-sugar transport and core enzymes, driven by B. infantis. Your baby's community is a complete HMO utilizer.
Built fromEnzymes for the fucose-decorated sugars that dominate most mothers' milk.
High for age, part of the full set of milk-sugar genes your baby carries.
Built fromEnzymes for the sialic-acid-decorated sugars linked to brain and gut development.
Typical for age, alongside the efficient shared Lacto-N-biose route (P67).
Built fromBifidobacteria ferment milk sugars into acetate, gently acidifying the gut.
The dominant infant short-chain fatty acid, and a signal linked in research to a settled immune environment.
Built fromThe fibre-fermenting, butyrate-making machinery of later childhood.
Low, and this is expected: fibre-fermenting, butyrate-making organisms arrive around weaning, so this is a normal developmental stage.
Built fromThe toddler headline. The fibre-and-butyrate machinery, near-absent in infancy, is now established and on track.
Driven by Faecalibacterium, Agathobacter and Roseburia. Solid, with room to grow toward its full later-childhood level.
Built fromThe variety of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) your child's community carries, the range of plant fibres it can digest.
Good for age and broad enough to support a healthy fermentation economy, with a little room to widen as the diet varies. This is the one gentle, actionable finding.
Built fromThe capacity to ferment resistant starch, the starch in cooked-and-cooled potato, rice, legumes and whole grains.
Anchored by the keystone degrader Ruminococcus bromii, which is present. A maturing part of the toddler fibre economy.
Built fromThe most abundant gut short-chain fatty acid, made by many organisms including Bifidobacteria and acetogens such as Blautia.
A steady, well-supplied base of the fermentation economy, typical for age.
Built fromLactate left by other microbes is converted onward to butyrate and propionate by cross-feeders.
A healthy, stable food chain, carried by Anaerobutyricum hallii, Anaerostipes and Veillonella.
Built fromThe total breadth of carbohydrate-active enzymes across your child's community: how many different fibre types the microbes can, between them, attack.
Broad and strong, the hallmark of a mature, plant-fed gut. Breadth is what keeps a gut producing beneficial short-chain fatty acids whatever is on the plate that week.
Built fromThe starch that survives cooking and reaches the colon, in cooled potato, rice, legumes and wholegrains.
A strong resistant-starch engine led by the keystone primary degrader R. bromii, which cracks starch granules open for the whole community.
Built fromThe main fibre in wheat, rye and other wholegrains.
A well-equipped arabinoxylan-degrading capacity, driven by Roseburia and Bacteroides: a marker of wholegrain-rich eating.
Built fromThe premier short-chain fatty acid, the preferred fuel of the cells lining the colon.
A strong, well-established butyrate engine, drawing on the full fibre-fermenting core.
Built fromLactate is an intermediate that a healthy community consumes and recycles onwards.
A healthy set of lactate-users that recycle it into butyrate and propionate, a sign of a stable, mature food chain.
Built fromThe variety of carbohydrate-active enzymes, the community's fibre toolkit and the flagship school-age function. These are genetic capacities: what the community is equipped to do.
A little narrow for age, consistent with a smaller range of plant fibres reaching the gut. It is one of the most diet-responsive things we measure, and widens quickly as the range of plant fibres grows.
Built fromThe colon's preferred fuel and the short-chain fatty acid most tied to gut-barrier and immune tone.
Low for age, the clearest lever in your child's profile and downstream of the lower-fibre pattern. Raising it is about widening the fibres that reach the colon.
Built fromHow much the community leans on the gut's mucus layer as a food source rather than on dietary fibre. A gut always has a healthy mucus layer, and some mucus-turnover is normal and useful.
Slightly elevated, the expected companion of a lower-fibre diet. It typically eases on its own as the variety of plant fibres in the diet increases.
Built fromWhether the community is fermenting mostly carbohydrates (saccharolytic, the favoured pattern) or leaning toward protein fermentation.
A slight proteolytic tilt, the natural flip-side of a lower-fibre diet. It moves back toward the saccharolytic side as fibre variety increases.
Built fromThe specialist genes (7α-dehydroxylation) that convert primary to secondary bile acids, a later-childhood milestone.
Present and maturing in your child's profile, a healthy maturation signal. Secondary bile acids also help hold opportunists in check.
Built fromThe single most actionable readout in an adolescent report. It compares fibre-fermenting (saccharolytic) capacity with protein-fermenting (proteolytic) capacity, the balance that most shapes the day-to-day gut environment of a growing, active teenager.
Your child's community is capable on both sides, and the balance currently leans protein: an expected pattern on a higher-protein athletic diet, and a very fixable one. Keep the protein your child's training needs, and pair every protein-rich meal with generous fibre.
Built fromThe gut lining's preferred fuel and the short-chain fatty acid most linked in research to a healthy, settled colon.
Strong for age, driven by an abundant fibre-fermenting guild: a dependable engine for gut-lining energy.
Built fromThe range of carbohydrate-active enzymes the community carries, the toolkit for breaking down the many different plant fibres in a varied diet.
A broad toolkit, good for age, and the raw material the SCFA engine needs. Resistant-starch fermentation is good too (P64).
Built fromThe capacity to ferment protein that reaches the colon, with branched-chain fatty acids (P66) as its by-products.
A little elevated and consistent with a higher-protein, athletic diet: some protein is being fermented in the colon rather than fully absorbed upstream. This is context, read as a balance signal.
Built fromThe capacity to produce methane by consuming hydrogen from fermentation, carried by the archaeon M. smithii.
Present and typical for an adolescent. Methane can influence gas and stool patterns, which is why we report it, and it is neither good nor bad.
Built fromThe organisms that matter at this stage
The keystones shift as your child grows: from the milk loving Bifidobacteria of infancy to the fibre fermenting, butyrate making community of later childhood. Each stage gets its own highlights.
Sample illustration from the reportAlongside these, the report lists every age appropriate organism of the profile, grouped by role, each with abundance, percentile against the age matched reference and an interpretation.
What we screen alongside the developmental picture
We also check the sample for clinically relevant organisms, for a fungal panel with three yeasts and for antibiotic resistance genes, all from the same stool sample and all reported for the age of your child.
Clinically relevant bacteria and parasites are screened from the same sequencing run as the developmental picture. Reporting follows the age of your child.
Each finding appears as detected or not detected, with a short line on how to read it at this age.
Carriage of C. difficile is very common and expected in healthy babies, so the report starts reporting it once it carries meaning, from around two years.
In the example reports of all five stages no clinically relevant bacterial or parasitic DNA was flagged.
Yeasts live in many healthy children’s guts. We report three of them as presence, each with how often they appear in healthy children of the same age.
Read from the same DNA as the bacteria, without a separate sample or an extra charge.
Every result is placed against how often the yeast is detected in healthy children of that stage, so presence alone is read in context.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is diet and environment associated and is a normal finding once children eat a varied diet.
Antibiotic resistance genes are a natural part of every child’s gut, carried by ordinary gut bacteria and seeded from family, food and environment. We report the level for the age of your child.
The report describes the resistance gene load of the community as a level for age, rather than as a list of individual genes.
Resistance genes are present in every baby’s gut from birth, passed on from mother and environment.
The comparison group is healthy children of the same developmental stage, so a normal level stays visible as normal.
The resistance gene level is included in every Microbiome 360° Gut Kids report, in every age stage.
- After a course of antibiotics, to see how the community recovers.
- When several courses followed each other within a short time.
- After a hospital stay or a longer trip.
- When you want a baseline before a planned procedure.
The report explains what the level means at this age, so you can discuss the result with your paediatrician.
Everything you need to collect the sample at home
The kit arrives as a box with everything you need to collect the sample at home, for babies also straight from the nappy. Afterwards, the tube goes back into the same box and you send it to the laboratory using the prepaid return label. Nothing to buy, nothing to pack and no appointment needed.
Render: box with kit contents-
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Collection tube with stabilising solutionKeeps the DNA of the stool sample stable in the post, without refrigeration.
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Collection aid (Stool Catcher)For older children over the toilet. For babies and toddlers the sample can be taken straight from the nappy.
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Illustrated step-by-step instructionsWritten for collection from children and babies, plus the notes on preparation.
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Card with your registration code (Sample ID Card)Links the kit online with your Bactera account, where you also state the feeding stage for babies.
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Hygiene bag (protective bubble wrap)Sealable and padded, for safe transport of the tube.
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Prepaid return label on the boxThe same box goes back to the laboratory. Seal it, apply the label, drop it off. Return shipping is included in the price.
Why shotgun shows more than a 16S test
Most gut tests for children read a single marker gene or culture only what will grow in the lab. We read the entire DNA of the stool sample and compare it with healthy children of the same age.
| Culture methodCulture (other providers) | 16S sequencing16S (other providers) | Shotgun metagenomicsShotgun (Bactera) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is read | Some bacteria and fungi | A single marker gene | The entire DNA of the sample |
| Resolution | A few bacteria | Mostly genus level | Species level |
| Bifidobacterium species separated | Partly | Unreliable | ✓Yes, including B. longum subsp. infantis |
| Age matched reference | No | Rarely | ✓Yes, five age stages from 0 to 17 years |
| Fungi | Partly | No | ✓Yes, three yeasts of the fungal panel |
| Functional genes | No | No | ✓Yes, milk sugar, fibre, butyrate and more |
| Antibiotic resistance | Limited | No | ✓Yes, reported as a level for age |
The comparison covers only the sequencing depth per sample, i.e. the number of reads analysed. It refers to the analysis method and not to individual providers. More sequencing depth means more DNA analysed per sample.
Among the leading gut analyses for children in Europe
Most gut tests for children in Germany use 16S sequencing or culture methods, and they compare a child with adult reference values. We sequence the entire DNA of the stool sample and compare it with healthy children of the same developmental stage. Here is what that means in numbers.
Sequencing depth at the level of international microbiome research, instead of the roughly 10,000 reads of a typical 16S test. If required, we increase the sequencing depth to 25 million reads: contact us before ordering via our contact page or info@bactera.de.
Infant, toddler, preschool, school age and adolescent, each with its own reference values, its own key microbes and its own report sections.
From microbiome maturity and ecosystem balance through the functional panels to the screening and the personalised action plan.
A five month old and a nine year old are read against their own age group. Low diversity with strong Bifidobacterium dominance is the healthy pattern in a baby and a finding worth looking at in a school child.
A 16S test usually stops at the genus. We identify the species, which is what separates B. longum subsp. infantis, the specialist milk sugar digester, from its relatives.
Shotgun metagenomics at species level is the standard that international microbiome research works to. In consumer analytics it is one of the few methods used worldwide.
Milk sugar digestion, fibre fermentation, butyrate, bile acids and the other capacities are read from the genes themselves, together with the organisms behind each value.
The bioinformatics runs in our own analysis pipelines in Cologne, at the highest scientific level. We do not buy in finished reports.
The stored sample can be reanalysed as your child grows and as the science advances, and the raw data stays available for download at any time.
This positioning refers to the analysis method used in each case and to publicly available information from providers of gut tests for children in the German-speaking market, as of 2026.
Four steps to your report
Choose the age stage and order
You select the age stage at checkout. With you in 1 to 3 working days. Register the kit online at www.my.bactera.de with the code from the box.
Collect the sample at home
A small stool sample with the tube from the kit. The illustrated instructions are written for children and babies, including collection from the nappy.
Send it back prepaid
The same box goes back to the laboratory with prepaid postage. The analysis is carried out by Bactera in Germany with our own bioinformatic analysis pipelines at the highest scientific standard.
Your report after 4 to 6 weeks
In your Bactera account at www.my.bactera.de, with explanations, interpretation and raw data to download.
Frequently asked questions about the kids gut analysis
From what age is the analysis possible?
From birth to 17 years. The five age stages are infant from 0 to 12 months, toddler from 1 to 3 years, preschool from 4 to 5 years, school age from 6 to 12 years and adolescent from 13 to 17 years. From 18 onwards the adult gut analysis is the right choice.
Why are separate age stages needed?
Because the same result means something entirely different depending on age. Low diversity with strong Bifidobacterium dominance is the expected pattern in a baby, while in a school child it would stand out. The whole report is therefore read against the reference values, the measures and the reporting rules of the chosen stage.
What if my child sits between two stages?
Choose the stage matching the actual age at the time of sampling. For children close to a stage change the analysis takes the transition range into account. If you are unsure, write to us before ordering.
How do I take a sample from a baby or toddler?
With the tube from the test kit, at home, in a few minutes. The illustrated instructions also cover collection from a nappy. Older children use the collection aid over the toilet. It works without an appointment and without a practice visit.
What do I state for breastfed or formula fed babies?
For babies you state the feeding stage during registration: breastfeeding, formula, mixed or already on solids. The infant report refers to it: milk adaptation, Bifidobacterium ecology and HMO utilisation are read using age and the stated feeding context.
What does microbiome maturity mean?
It describes how closely the community matches the degree of development expected at that age, reported as a range rather than a precise clock. It is a developmental descriptor of the microbial community, alongside diversity, ecosystem balance and the functional panels.
Is the analysis useful after a course of antibiotics?
Yes, it describes the current state, for example reduced bifidobacteria, changed diversity or a higher resistance gene level for age. If you want to see the usual state, wait about four weeks after the antibiotics. To follow a trajectory, two measurements are recommended.
When is the best time to collect the sample?
When your child is eating as usual and is well. Keep the diet unchanged in the days before, wait until an acute stomach bug has passed and allow about four weeks after a course of antibiotics. Ideally stop probiotics seven days beforehand.
Which reference group is my child compared with?
Healthy children of the same developmental stage. Every percentile, every median and every band on this page comes from that age matched reference group, which is why the same value can read as strong at one stage and as emerging at another.
How long does the analysis take?
Usually 4 to 6 weeks after the sample arrives at the laboratory. Shotgun metagenomics generates far more data than a 16S test, and this data is then analysed in our own pipelines against the references of the chosen age stage. You are notified by email as soon as the report is ready.
What does the test cost and does health insurance pay for it?
The test costs a one-off €229,00 including shipping and prepaid return within Germany, the same for every age stage. It is a self-pay service. Statutory health insurers generally do not cover microbiome analyses. Whether a private insurer contributes depends on the policy.
What does the lifetime DNA bank mean and what happens to the data?
The sample is analysed in Germany and processed pseudonymously. The extracted DNA stays stored, so the sample can be reanalysed as your child grows and as the science advances, without a new sample. You can download the full organism list, the FASTQ files and the raw abundances at any time.