Sequencing your stool sample will add a lot of additional information about your health profile. The bacteria in our large intestine play an important role towards our well being and sequencing your still will provide a complete picture of your individual health and well being. It is worth every penny!

"Earlier this year I had my genome sequenced out of curiosity. It cost me $6,500 and I'm wondering if there will be any added information from sequencing my poop. Could someone please explain the differences in sequencing results, if any, from using whole blood versus poop?"

sequencing a stool sample will give info on your gut flora and fauna - not really sure what you'd do with the information.....for that matter, not really sure what you'd do with info on your genome sequence either - the linkages to disease susceptibility are pretty poor so of little use to an individual/patient.

Earlier this year I had my genome sequenced out of curiosity. It cost me $6,500 and I'm wondering if there will be any added information from sequencing my poop. Could someone please explain the differences in sequencing results, if any, from using whole blood versus poop?

Don't worry, sometimes I have blood in my stool and it was determined from my doctor that constipation and overly dry stool was the problem. My stool was coming out too big and dry which ripped my anus. I now take stool softener and have more fiber in my diet which helped. Good luck with your stool.

"And do it immediatley. It could potentially be colorectal cancer which if caught early is completely treatable/curable during the colonoscopy."

Thank you, I have an appointment to see my doctor next Friday, October 5th, and I'm praying it isn't cancer. I appreciate the helpful advise and feel this website might have saved my life. Thank you!

Yes, a pound of poop is perfect! Please send it directly to Jay and he'll make sure it gets sequenced right away!

"How big of a sample should I send? I'm not sure how much DNA is in a stool sample and how much is needed for Illumina's NGS technology. Please advise."

I'd recommend sending at least a pound.

How big of a sample should I send? I'm not sure how much DNA is in a stool sample and how much is needed for Illumina's NGS technology. Please advise.

Flatley, at least, would recognize the stuff. Lucifer, on the other hand, is so deeply buried in it that he wouldn't even notice.

"I'm interested in sequencing my stool. How much does it cost?"

The cost for sequencing your stool varies considerably by platform as well as application.

I'd recommend going with Illumina. Jay Flatley would appreciate you sending him your sample for sequencing.

No need to send on dry ice, just place your stool in a box and send by UPS directly to Illumina.

Good luck!

"Thank you, I'll call my doctor to request a colonoscopy. I'm glad there are some nice people on this site which can help. Thank you"

And do it immediatley. It could potentially be colorectal cancer which if caught early is completely treatable/curable during the colonoscopy.

I'm interested in sequencing my stool. How much does it cost?

Yes, some poop floats because it contains excess gas which makes the density less than that of water. Hence, the poop floats in the toilet. Sequencing will not reveal any more information on the characteristics of floating poop.

Does anyone know why some poop floats?

Would sequencing help to answer this riddle?

Thank you, I'll call my doctor to request a colonoscopy. I'm glad there are some nice people on this site which can help. Thank you!

"Sometimes my stool contains blood and I'm not sure if this is a problem. I'm 53 years old and have only noticed blood in my stool over the last few months. I'm not sure if this is just paranoia but should I consider sequencing my stool to test for disease? I heard this test is powerful but don't know if it is appropriate or where I can get it performed. Please advise"

If you're serious, go to a doctor and get a colonoscopy, don't bother with sequencing

Sometimes my stool contains blood and I'm not sure if this is a problem. I'm 53 years old and have only noticed blood in my stool over the last few months. I'm not sure if this is just paranoia but should I consider sequencing my stool to test for disease? I heard this test is powerful but don't know if it is appropriate or where I can get it performed. Please advise.

Which NGS platform is most robust for sequencing poop?

I don't understand why some poop floats while other poop sinks?!?!

I'll be happy to send my poop to Life Technologies to find out!

Bottom line, that is a lot of poop!

One person's poop is another person's treasure!

This is an attractive market and Americans spend $8 billion each year on medical costs related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as an example.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a prominent GI disorder, affects 25 to 45 million Americans. Studies have shown that IBS affects 3 to 22 percent of persons worldwide and its symptoms are reported by 12 percent of Americans.

So, if we assume 10 percent of the world population are candidates for IBS testing this brings us to a total available market of 700 million samples per year globally! Even if you only penetrated 10 percent of this market we're talking 70 million samples! At $500 per test for targeted NGS this represents an annual $35 billion dollar market!!

That analysis is crap! Yes, there are 7 to 14 billion poops available for testing but this doesn't represent the total available market. Testing wouldn't be suitable for everyone on the planet and is only applicable for those who are suspected to have GI issues. There is no way every person on the planet will get their poop sequenced on an annual basis. I'm estimating the total available market is much closer to 1 million poops per year.

Yes, there are at least 1 trillion poops per year globally but this doesn't represent the total available market!!! Each person would probably only get tested once or twice per year. This means there are only 7 to 14 billion poops available for testing globally.

This post is brilliant! Stool analysis is a HUGE market opportunity for NGS. Think about it folks, there are a total of 7.042 billion people in the world. With one poop per day, per person, this represents 1 trillion poops per year!!! That is a lot of poop!!!

Don't worry, it is normal for poop to smell bad.

Yeah, you can send your poop to Life Technologies.... The Ion Torrent instrument is literally crap but perfect for poop!!

My poop smells very bad.

I hope I don't have a GI disorder.

Is there a place I can send my poop for analysis?

The "Seq-cretion Poop Panel" sounds like a great NGS product!!

Metametrix Clinical Laboratory offers the "GI Effects Complete Stool Profile" which relies upon DNA analysis of microbiota and anaerobes in stool for identifying gastrointestinal disorders. This is the latest advancement in stool profiling with comprehensive reimbursement with established CPT codes. It is a great idea to consider NGS to improve the diagnostic capability of this application.

"Excretion-seq, every bodily excretion is an opportunity for NGS"

Seq-cretion has a better ring to it!

Excretion-seq, every bodily excretion is an opportunity for NGS - just pee, sneeze, poop, spit etc. onto a MinION!

Molzym is already doing this and of course Great Smokies Laboratories (think they changed their name to enova a few years back)have been doing Comprehensive Stool Analysis for years

I would love to sequence my dumps!

Yes, I think it sounds like a great opportunity!!! Some celebrities might sequence their stool every day if this test can demonstrate value! I wonder if this application can help answer why some stool floats while others sink.

I am sure the vendors will love the daily revenue stream the sequencers would provide

That sounds like a crappy idea.