Beyond a simple gut test. Your entire gut microbiome decoded & analyzed.
With Microbiome 360° Gut, Bactera offers one of the most advanced gut microbiome analyses available. Conventional tests read only single genes. We decode the entire DNA of your stool sample using shotgun sequencing and identify bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites down to species level.
Your sample is analyzed in-house in Germany, using advanced bioinformatics and the highest scientific standards. The result is a comprehensive view of your microbiome: microbial diversity, gut health, metabolism and other key areas of your health.
One test. 360° analysis. Complete DNA. Deeper insights.
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Gut symptoms without a clear cause, constant tiredness, the weeks after antibiotics or simply the wish to age well: Microbiome 360° Gut shows you which bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites live in your gut and what that means for you. From one stool sample, collected at home, analysed in Cologne.
Bloating, diarrhoea, constipation or suspected IBS, and your doctor says everything looks normal. Your report shows how your diversity, core bacteria and 34 clinically relevant organisms are doing.
Exhaustion, frequent infections or cravings can be linked to your gut. You see whether your microbiome can produce key compounds such as butyrate and how stable it is.
After antibiotics, a stomach infection or a change of diet. The report shows which species are missing, which dominate and whether resistance genes are detectable.
You look after your diet, exercise and sleep and want to know whether your gut keeps up. With microbiome age, gut health score and a risk assessment for 15 conditions.
Then the answer is in the DNA of your stool sample. We read it completely: bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites in one run, down to species level. Most other gut tests only capture bacteria. You will learn more in the next sections.
Then the answer is in the DNA of your stool sample. We read it completely: bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites in one run. Most other gut tests only capture bacteria. You will learn more in the next sections.
Just keep reading at your own pace. Each section shows you examples from the report, exactly as you will see it later in your portal.
All from one stool sample, collected at home, analysed in Cologne.
Most microbiome tests in Germany use 16S sequencing or culture methods, and both mainly capture bacteria. We read the entire DNA of your stool sample, so viruses, fungi and parasites are picked up in the same analysis.
Thousands of bacterial species identified from the DNA in your sample, with the main phyla and genera, species count and evenness, compared with a healthy reference cohort.
Selected clinically relevant DNA viruses are captured in the same sequencing run, with no extra sample and no extra charge.
From beneficial yeasts such as Saccharomyces boulardii to Candida species and moulds, each reported as detected or not detected.
Giardia, Entamoeba, Blastocystis, Cryptosporidium and more, as a pure detection screening from the same stool sample.
For every value you see the reference range, what it means for you and what to do next. Use the report interactively in the portal or download it.
Eleven analysis areas from a single stool sample, all in one report.
Measures how many different microorganisms live in your gut and how balanced they are. Higher diversity is associated with better digestion, immunity and metabolic health.
Your Index (4.18) is in the 62nd percentile, meaning it scores higher than 62% of the healthy reference samples.
Your gut microbiome shows a moderate and balanced diversity. This points to an ecosystem within the healthy range.
Your gut can be “older” or “younger” than your chronological age. We compare your microbiome with thousands of healthy profiles to estimate its biological ageing.
The biological microbiome age is calibrated against healthy reference data and expressed as the difference from your chronological age.
An easy-to-understand index that summarises inflammatory potential, protective bacteria and metabolic activity.
This range reflects a highly balanced and resilient gut ecosystem. Microbial diversity is strong and risk-associated patterns are low.
Estimates how well your gut ecosystem can recover after disruptions such as antibiotics, infections or stress.
This range indicates a stable and adaptable gut microbiome. Beneficial bacteria are well represented, diversity is supportive, and inflammation-associated signals are controlled.
Evaluates whether the most important beneficial bacteria, which support digestion, immunity and protection against pathogens, are present in sufficient amounts in your gut.
Suggests healthy butyrate production and balanced immune regulation within the gut.
The 38 microorganisms with the most reliable human evidence, from butyrate producers to mucus degraders, bifidobacteria, sulfur metabolisers, opportunists and gut yeasts. For each one you see its relative abundance, its percentile against our healthy reference cohort and a plain-language interpretation of what that level means for that particular organism.
Seven groups: fiber fermenters · mucus layer & barrier · lactic-acid bacteria · protein, bile acid & sulfur · diet pattern & gas · opportunists · gut yeasts.
Your gut microbiome reflects your long-term eating habits. Certain groups of bacteria become more dominant depending on the foods you eat regularly. On this basis, your microbiome can be assigned to four general dietary patterns. Most people show a combination of these patterns, with one usually more pronounced than the others.
Plant-Based Foods, 48%. This pattern reflects a microbiome adapted to breaking down plant-based foods, especially fiber-rich carbohydrates.
We analyse your microbiome data for the DNA of 34 clinically relevant microorganisms: bacteria, parasites and DNA viruses. These have been linked to gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bloating, fatigue or imbalance after antibiotic therapy. Many of these microbial signals often go unnoticed, because the symptoms frequently resemble those of common complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome or food intolerances.
Your gut is home to more than bacteria: yeasts and fungi are part of the ecosystem too. When their balance is disturbed, they can contribute to persistent bloating, sugar cravings, histamine reactions, skin problems or symptoms that get worse after antibiotics. We screen for clinically relevant fungi to distinguish normal colonisation from problematic overgrowth.
Some gut bacteria can carry resistance to common antibiotics, which may explain why earlier treatments did not work as expected. We screen your sample against hundreds of known antimicrobial resistance genes and assign each detected gene to its drug class; the examples below show which commonly prescribed antibiotics this covers. This information helps in choosing the most effective therapy, avoids unnecessary medication and is particularly valuable before surgery, immunosuppressive treatment or in the case of recurring infections.
| Drug class | Gene | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Macrolides | erm(B) | Detected |
| Tetracyclines | tet(O) | Detected |
| Tetracyclines | tet(W) | Detected |
| Tetracyclines | tet(M) | Detected |
Resistance genes make certain bacteria less susceptible to individual antibiotic classes. The report shows drug class, gene and status.
You receive the complete list of every microorganism identified in your sample, together with the raw data. And your report does not stand still: we continuously add new analyses, markers and insights, and whenever a new analysis becomes available your existing sequencing data is re-analysed and your report upgraded, free of charge and without a new stool sample.
For 15 conditions across four areas, we calculate a protection or risk value from your microbiome. Each assessment shows you which bacterial strains are involved and explains what the result means.
Each assessment shows a protection or risk value with a bar, the contributing bacterial strains as chips and a one-sentence interpretation. Values up to 35 are neutral and shown in blue. Above 35, green stands for a protective profile and red for an increased risk.
Risk associated taxa are somewhat more prominent than protective ones, with reduced levels of butyrate producing bacteria and increased microorganisms linked to inflammation.
The microbiome is largely balanced with only minor deviations. Protective bacteria are generally present in sufficient amounts.
Risk associated features outweigh protective ones, including reduced fibre fermenting bacteria and increased microorganisms associated with altered motility and gut sensitivity.
The microbial composition is relatively neutral, with a mixture of protective and risk associated features without a clear predominance of either profile.
Noticeable dysbiosis is present, including reduced levels of bacteria that support epithelial barrier integrity and increased microorganisms associated with low-grade inflammation. This pattern may be linked to increased intestinal sensitivity after gluten ingestion.
The microbial composition is relatively neutral, with a mixture of protective and less favorable taxa. Certain microbial features may modestly influence metabolic regulation.
The microbial composition is relatively neutral, with a mixture of protective and risk associated features and no clear predominance of either pattern.
The microbial composition is relatively neutral, with a mixture of protective and less favorable taxa. Certain microbial features may modestly influence glucose regulation.
Here the question shifts from which bacteria live in your gut to what they can actually do. Each panel shows on a traffic-light scale where you stand against the healthy reference population, with a short interpretation and the organisms that shape your score.
Reflects the activity of microbial fermentation processes that produce gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide. These influence gut motility, sensitivity and digestive comfort.
Your microbiome shows increased gas-producing activity compared with the healthy reference population. This indicates more active microbial fermentation and may be associated with a greater tendency toward gas formation, depending on diet and individual sensitivity.
What is driving this scoreShows how closely your microbiome resembles microbial patterns linked to healthy sleep quality and a stable sleep-wake rhythm, for example via short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan metabolites and GABA.
Your microbiome shows a favorable representation of microbial features associated with healthy sleep quality and circadian alignment.
What is driving this scoreShows how well equipped your microbiome is to produce butyrate: the most important energy source for gut cells, central to the barrier, immune regulation and inflammation balance.
Your microbiome shows a typical representation of bacteria associated with butyrate production. This suggests a balanced capacity for fermentation of dietary fiber.
What is driving this scoreReflects microbial features linked to activation of the immune system, in particular gram-negative bacteria carrying lipopolysaccharides (LPS).
Your microbiome shows lower levels of inflammation-associated microbial signals compared with the healthy reference population. This points to a favorable microbial environment.
What is driving this scoreShows the share of bacteria that can use components of the mucus layer as a nutrient source. Controlled mucin turnover is normal, excessive activity can put strain on the gut barrier.
Your microbiome shows relatively low representation of bacteria associated with mucin utilisation, suggesting limited microbial reliance on the intestinal mucus layer.
What is driving this scoreShotgun sequencing resolves microorganisms down to species level, not just genus or family. The report profiles the 38 organisms with the strongest human evidence: how abundant each one is in your sample, how that compares with healthy people, and what the value means for the group it belongs to.
Each row is one group and each marker one organism, placed at its percentile and coloured by the band it falls into. Markers past the divider are detection-only organisms. Tap a marker to name it.
The engine room of a healthy colon: they break down the dietary fiber your own enzymes cannot digest and convert it into short-chain fatty acids, above all butyrate, the preferred fuel of the cells lining your large intestine.
One of the most abundant bacteria in the healthy colon; ferments fiber into butyrate and releases anti-inflammatory molecules.
A major butyrate producer whose abundance tracks fiber intake closely enough to be informative.
Ferments plant cell-wall material such as xylan and β-glucan from oats and rye.
A butyrate producer consistently reduced in ulcerative colitis; absent in roughly a quarter of healthy adults.
A cross-feeder that converts lactate and acetate into butyrate and prevents lactate build-up.
Another lactate-to-butyrate converter, found in the great majority of healthy adults.
A keystone species: one of very few gut bacteria able to make the first cut into resistant starch.
Butyrate and propionate producers repeatedly linked in large population studies to quality of life and mood.
A small, specialised group lives in and on the mucus layer that separates bacteria from your own cells. Controlled turnover is normal; the question is one of balance, particularly when fiber is scarce.
Lives in the mucus layer and stimulates the gut lining to renew itself. Both very low and very high are worth noting.
A metabolic generalist that switches to mucus sugars when dietary fiber runs short, making it a sensitive read-out of fiber supply.
A specialised mucin degrader; elevated levels point specifically at increased mucus turnover. Enriched in inflammatory bowel conditions.
One of the most reproducible microbial signals in IBD. Present at low levels in most healthy people; it is expansion that matters.
Produces butyrate, propionate and sulfonolipids that appear to calm intestinal immune signalling.
The bifidobacteria and lactobacilli of infant guts, fermented foods and probiotic capsules. They acidify the colon and make it harder for unwanted organisms to establish. In adults a modest but meaningful part of the community that responds quickly to diet.
The combined level of all bifidobacteria; the figure your Core 5 result and most published studies refer to.
The dominant adult bifidobacterium and the species that actually persists past childhood.
One of the most widely supplied probiotic species and a producer of indole-3-lactic acid.
Breaks down sugars outside the cell and shares them with neighbours; absent in many healthy adults.
The lactobacilli of yoghurt, ferments and probiotic capsules. Detection usually reflects recent intake rather than a stable resident population.
Mostly oral and dairy streptococci. A raised stool level is one of the more informative signals of an upper-gut pattern, but equally often a yoghurt habit.
Protein, fat and bile acids feed a second set of bacteria whose by-products, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and secondary bile acids, are useful in small amounts but irritating in excess. The counterweight to the fiber fermenters.
Converts taurine from bile into hydrogen sulfide; one of the fastest responders to a high-fat, high-animal-protein diet.
The most common sulfate-reducing bacterium in the gut; sulfide competes with butyrate for use by your gut cells when abundant.
Ferments protein but also produces propionate; the evidence points in both directions.
Its surface molecule PSA trains regulatory immune cells, yet a minority of strains carry a toxin gene. Strain-level typing is not part of the report.
Transforms bile acids, plant polyphenols and certain medicines; the bacterium known to inactivate digoxin.
Some organisms say more about how you eat and how your gut moves than about whether you are healthy. Shown in blue: context, not verdict.
The largest bacterial group in most Western guts; the total that defines your enterotype.
A dependable degrader of dietary plant fiber and a main workhorse converting plant material into propionate.
Formerly Prevotella copri: the signature organism of high-fiber, plant-heavy diets and the counterpart to the Bacteroides pattern.
An archaeon that converts hydrogen to methane, which slows intestinal transit. Associated with firmer stools and bloating, and with leaner body composition.
The most strongly heritable organism in the human gut, consistently more common in lean individuals.
Harmless residents in small numbers that can take advantage of a disturbed environment. Finding them is normal and not a sign of infection; what matters is proportion, which is why low values are shown in green.
A normal minority resident that keeps the colon anaerobic; the result reflects total E. coli, not any disease-causing type.
Can expand markedly after antibiotics and frequently carries resistance genes, which makes low levels reassuring.
One of the first species to bloom after an antibiotic course; a useful marker of ecosystem recovery.
Primarily a mouth bacterium that reaches the gut by swallowing. Detection on its own is a common finding in healthy people.
Degrades dietary flavonoids before your body can absorb them; repeatedly elevated in inflammatory and metabolic conditions.
Expands specifically when the fiber-fermenting community thins out; an indicator of ecosystem balance.
Fungi make up a tiny fraction of the gut community but are frequently asked about. Because fungal levels swing with what you eat, no reliable healthy range exists, so they are reported as presence only.
Baker's and brewer's yeast; detection almost always reflects diet rather than colonisation.
A normal member of the gut community in a substantial minority of healthy adults. Finding it in stool is not “candida overgrowth”.
Formerly Candida glabrata; naturally less responsive to standard antifungal drugs, which is why it is named separately.
These five bacterial groups show at a glance how well your gut bacteria produce butyrate and ferment fibre, how they feed each other (cross-feeding), how they interact with the immune system and how the mucus layer is doing. In the report, each group gets the status Low, Normal or High with a short interpretation. All five are also part of the 38-organism profile above.
We also check your sample for 34 clinically relevant DNA markers of bacteria, parasites and DNA viruses, for yeasts and fungi in a dedicated panel, and for hundreds of antimicrobial resistance genes sorted by drug class. All from the same sequencing, at no extra charge.
Detection comes from the same sequencing as your gut flora analysis. A positive finding is confirmed clinically.
Protozoa and worms, as a detection screening from the stool sample, with no separate submission.
Selected clinically relevant DNA viruses, captured in the same sequencing run.
These yeasts are considered favourable or harmless and often come from food or probiotics.
Candida is present in the gut of many people. The report interprets each detection and distinguishes normal colonisation from overgrowth.
Many of these fungi enter the gut via food or the environment and are detectable there temporarily.
The gut is one of the body's largest reservoirs of bacteria. Some microorganisms carry genes that protect them against certain antibiotics. We detect these genes in your sample and assign them to the corresponding drug classes.
The substances below are examples from the drug classes we cover. They are not the full list: your report shows every resistance gene found in your sample, across a much wider range of antibiotics.
Widely used first-line antibiotic for ear, throat, respiratory and urinary tract infections.
Used for urinary tract infections, some gastrointestinal infections and traveller's diarrhoea.
Strong hospital antibiotic for severe pneumonia and complicated abdominal infections.
Reserve antibiotic for life-threatening infections. Resistance is a globally observed issue.
Used against resistant gram-positive bacteria and for infections with Clostridioides difficile.
Frequently prescribed for respiratory infections and certain sexually transmitted infections.
Used for skin conditions, acne and some intestinal infections.
Frequently prescribed for urinary tract and gastrointestinal infections.
Resistance genes are part of our standard report. It shows drug class, gene and status so that you can discuss the result with your doctor.
The kit arrives as a box with everything you need to collect your sample at home. 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.
Photo: box with kit contentsMost gut microbiome tests read a single marker gene or culture only what will grow in the lab. We read the entire DNA of your sample.
| 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 | Thousands of species |
| Viruses | No | No | ✓Yes |
| Fungi | Partly | No | ✓Yes |
| Parasites | No | No | ✓Yes, including Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Entamoeba |
| Functional genes | No | No | ✓Yes, genes for butyrate, nitrate, mucin and more |
| Antimicrobial resistance | Limited | No | ✓Yes, hundreds of resistance genes screened |
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.
The Microbiome 360° Gut report is already complete. For research groups, clinicians and anyone with a specific question, we offer three extensions. You can request them on top of the standard order, and each is quoted individually. Write to us before you order, because the extensions have to be arranged before your sample is sequenced.
Our standard depth of 10 million paired-end reads is more than sufficient for the full report. On request we sequence your sample at 25 million reads, 2.5 times the data. This is worth considering when the question is about organisms that make up a tiny fraction of the community: more sensitive detection of rare pathogens, parasites and yeasts, more resistance genes recovered at low abundance, and more robust functional-gene profiles. It changes how much we see at the margins, not the report itself.
Whether a bacterium can cause disease often depends less on the species than on the toxin and adhesion genes it carries. On request we screen the sequencing data for the virulence-associated genes of the most important intestinal pathogens:
Detection of a virulence gene by shotgun sequencing shows that the genetic marker is present in the community. It does not establish a specific pathogenic strain, active expression of the gene or a clinically active infection, and assignment to a particular organism depends on sequencing coverage. Can be run on existing data.
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, and they are by far the most numerous viruses in the gut. Because they shape which bacteria thrive, the phage community is an increasingly studied layer of the microbiome: shifts in phage diversity and in the balance between phages and their bacterial hosts have been described in inflammatory bowel disease, after antibiotics and in metabolic conditions. On request we profile the phages in your sequencing data and their diversity.
Most gut microbiome tests on the German market use 16S sequencing or culture methods. We rely consistently on shotgun metagenomics, the method used in international microbiome research. 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. Deeper sequencing with 25 million reads is available on request.
Bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses from the same sequencing run. In your report, 38 relevant organisms are profiled in seven groups and compared with a healthy reference cohort.
Part of our standard report and not an add-on module at extra cost.
A 16S test usually stops at the genus. We identify the species, and species of the same genus differ considerably in their metabolism.
Shotgun metagenomics at species level is the standard that international microbiome research is guided by. In consumer analytics it is one of the few methods used worldwide.
The bioinformatics runs in our own analysis pipelines in Cologne, at the highest scientific standard. We do not buy in ready-made reports.
Hundreds of antimicrobial resistance genes, assigned to their drug classes, are part of every report. In the German-speaking consumer market this is still the exception.
Full organism list, FASTQ files and raw abundances downloadable at any time, and your report is upgraded free of charge as new analyses become available.
We do not sell you products based on your own results. The report is the product, not the entry into a sales funnel.
This assessment refers to the analysis method used in each case and to publicly available information from providers of gut flora analyses for consumers in the German-speaking region, as of 2026.
With you in 1 to 3 working days. Register your kit online at www.my.bactera.de with the code from the box.
A few minutes with the tube from the kit, illustrated step by step.
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.
In your Bactera account at www.my.bactera.de, with explanations, action plan and raw data to download.
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A gut microbiome test examines the microorganisms in your gut from a stool sample. Our test uses shotgun DNA sequencing to read the entire DNA of the sample and identifies bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites down to species level. The report shows species richness, composition, dysbiosis measures, enterotype, functional potential, risk assessments for 15 conditions and a screening for clinically relevant organisms.
Dysbiosis describes an imbalance in the microbial community, for example when protective organisms recede and pressure-associated ones increase. In the report we summarise this through diversity, core organisms, the resilience index and pathobiont pressure.
A species-rich ecosystem has more functional redundancy: several organisms can take on the same task, such as producing butyrate. That makes the community more robust against disruptions. This is why we always read it together with composition and function.
From your microbiome signature, the report calculates a protection or risk value for 15 conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome. It is a microbiome-based assessment and not a medical diagnosis. Each assessment shows the contributing bacterial strains and a one-sentence interpretation, so you can take it straight into your next consultation.
A 16S test reads a single marker gene, a kind of genetic barcode, and usually gets as far as genus level. Shotgun metagenomics reads the entire DNA of the sample. This gives identification at species level, detection of viruses, fungi and parasites in the same run, and the analysis of functional genes and antibiotic resistance genes. Most lower-priced gut microbiome tests on the German market work with 16S.
Adults aged 18 and over who want a detailed picture of their gut flora, want to base their diet on data or want to understand where their gut stands after antibiotic therapy. With persistent complaints, blood in the stool or unintended weight loss, medical evaluation comes first. For children and teenagers, there is a kit version based on their age.
Usually 4 to 6 weeks after your sample arrives at the laboratory. The reason is the method: shotgun metagenomics generates considerably more data than a 16S test, and this data is then analysed in our own pipelines. You will be notified by email as soon as your report is ready.
With the tube from the test kit, at home, in a few minutes. Eat as usual in the days before and do not change your diet specifically for the test. Do not collect a sample during an acute gastrointestinal infection. Ideally stop probiotics seven days beforehand, and after a course of antibiotics wait four weeks if possible.
The test costs a one-time €229,00 including shipping and prepaid return within Germany. It is a self-pay service. Statutory health insurers in Germany generally do not cover the cost of microbiome analyses. Whether a private insurer or a subsidy scheme contributes depends on your plan.
We continuously add new analyses to the report. When a new analysis becomes available, your existing sequencing data is re-analysed and your report is upgraded at no cost, without you sending in a new sample. Your result therefore grows with the state of science. You can object to the storage of your data at any time.
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