InstalabBiomeBurden™ Complete - Myco, Micro & Immune Evaluation
Should you take a BiomeBurden™ Complete - Myco, Micro & Immune Evaluation test?
This test is most useful if any of these apply to you.
39 biomarkers included
- Immune Function11
- Neutrophil Activation Factors IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody tied to neutrophil activation. Neutrophils are first-response white blood cells.Why it mattersElevation suggests barrier-level innate immune activation alongside yeast or bacterial antibodies.
- Neutrophil Activation Factors IgGLonger-lasting antibody tied to neutrophil activation, useful for spotting a broader inflammatory immune pattern.Why it mattersHigh IgG suggests sustained first-response immune activation rather than isolated antibody noise.
- WBC CountTotal white blood cell count, the broadest blood signal of infection, inflammation, or immune suppression.Why it mattersAn abnormal count changes how much weight to give the antibody pattern.
- Lymphocyte CountTotal lymphocyte count. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that include T cells and antibody-making B cells.Why it mattersA low count can weaken antifungal defense and distort subset ratios.
- T Cells (CD3+)CD3 is a surface tag on T cells; this count gives the size of the total T-cell pool.Why it mattersAn abnormal total tells you whether helper-cell shifts reflect real T-cell changes.
- Total T-Helper-1 CellT-helper-1 cells steer defense against intracellular microbes and support some antifungal responses.Why it mattersA low or high count shows whether this inflammatory arm is underactive or overactive.
- Total T-Helper-2 CellT-helper-2 cells steer allergy-type and parasite-defense immunity; excess can pull balance away from antifungal Th17 defense.Why it mattersA high count may show immune skew away from the Candida-controlling arm.
- Th1/Th2 ratioTh1 and Th2 are two helper T-cell programs; the ratio shows which side is dominating.Why it mattersA skewed ratio helps explain whether antifungal defense is balanced or diverted.
- Total T-Helper-17 (Th17) CellTh17 cells help fight fungi and bacteria at barriers but can also drive gut inflammation.Why it mattersA high count supports an inflammation-tilted antifungal and barrier-defense response.
- Total Regulatory T Cell (Treg)Regulatory T cells, or Treg cells, restrain inflammation and help maintain tolerance to gut microbes.Why it mattersA low count means less braking force on fungal, bacterial, and self-reactive immunity.
- Th17/Treg ratioThe balance between Th17 inflammatory drive and Treg restraint, used as the panel's cellular inflammation read.Why it mattersA Th17-tilted ratio is the clearest cellular sign of inflammatory skew.
- Autoimmunity4
- Actin Peptide IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to actin, a structural protein in your cells and one self-reactivity probe.Why it mattersElevation adds a barrier-level self-reactivity signal that needs pattern support.
- Actin Peptide IgGLonger-lasting antibody to actin peptides, included to check whether microbial reactivity is paired with self-directed antibodies.Why it mattersHigh IgG suggests durable self-reactivity to actin-related targets.
- Ubiquitin IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to ubiquitin, a human protein with a known bacterial look-alike in Bacteroides fragilis.Why it mattersElevation supports the panel's exploratory gut-microbe mimicry pattern at the barrier level.
- Ubiquitin IgGLonger-lasting antibody to ubiquitin, included because Bacteroides fragilis can carry a cross-reactive ubiquitin-like protein.Why it mattersHigh IgG suggests durable immune recognition of ubiquitin-like targets.
- Infections20
- Candida Albicans Antigens IgAIgA is an antibody class tied to body linings; this marker tracks Candida albicans reactivity near the gut barrier.Why it mattersHigh IgA suggests a gut-lining immune response to Candida albicans, not proof of overgrowth.
- Candida Albicans Antigens IgGIgG is the longer-lasting blood antibody class; this marker reflects cumulative immune exposure to Candida albicans.Why it mattersHigh IgG suggests sustained Candida albicans exposure or immune memory, best read with the IgA and hypha markers.
- Candida Tropicalis + C. Glabrata IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to two non-albicans Candida species linked to harder-to-treat infections and gut inflammation research.Why it mattersElevation widens the current Candida signal beyond albicans toward tropicalis or glabrata reactivity.
- Candida Tropicalis + C. Glabrata IgGLonger-lasting antibody to non-albicans Candida species, useful when albicans markers do not explain the fungal pattern.Why it mattersHigh IgG suggests past or sustained exposure to tropicalis or glabrata-type Candida antigens.
- Candida Parapsilosis + Krusei IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to parapsilosis and krusei, two clinically important non-albicans Candida species.Why it mattersElevation points to current immune recognition of parapsilosis or krusei-type Candida antigens.
- Candida Parapsilosis + Krusei IgGLonger-lasting antibody to parapsilosis and krusei, extending the panel's view across less common Candida species.Why it mattersHigh IgG adds a durable exposure signal for these non-albicans yeasts.
- Candida Auris IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to Candida auris, an emerging Candida species usually discussed in health-care outbreaks.Why it mattersElevation raises an exploratory question of Candida auris exposure; this assay is not a validated infection test.
- Candida Auris IgGLonger-lasting antibody to Candida auris, included because this species can be drug-resistant and hard to identify.Why it mattersHigh IgG hints at prior exposure to a resistant Candida species, but no validated cutoff exists for this marker.
- Candidalysin IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to candidalysin, the toxin made during Candida's thread-form growth.Why it mattersElevation is an exploratory hint of a barrier response to Candida's damaging form, not a validated readout.
- Candidalysin IgGLonger-lasting antibody to candidalysin, adding durable evidence for immune recognition of thread-form Candida.Why it mattersHigh IgG adds exploratory weight to a thread-form Candida signal when species antibodies are also elevated.
- Candida Germ Tube Protein IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to germ tube proteins, early markers of Candida's switch into thread-form growth.Why it mattersElevation adds a second, exploratory gut-level hint that Candida is being seen in its invasive form.
- Candida Germ Tube Protein IgGLonger-lasting antibody to germ tube proteins, corroborating the candidalysin signal from another thread-form Candida marker.Why it mattersHigh IgG supports durable immune memory of Candida's tissue-penetrating form, as an exploratory marker.
- Alpha-Enolase IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to alpha-enolase, one of the panel's probes for self-directed immunity.Why it mattersElevation adds an exploratory gut-level signal of self-reactivity.
- Alpha-Enolase IgGLonger-lasting antibody to alpha-enolase, a self-protein antibody reported in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.Why it mattersHigh IgG suggests systemic self-reactivity that needs context from standard autoimmune labs.
- Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Glucan IgAThe gut-lining arm of ASCA, the anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody used as a Crohn's disease aid.Why it mattersHigh IgA-ASCA points toward yeast-directed gut immunity, especially when symptoms or calprotectin fit.
- Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Glucan IgGThe longer-lasting ASCA arm; in one Crohn's cohort, positivity was 57 percent versus 8 percent in healthy controls.Why it mattersHigh IgG-ASCA is this panel's best-studied Crohn's-linked yeast signal.
- Saccharomyces Boulardii IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotic yeast that can complicate ASCA interpretation.Why it mattersElevation can tie yeast reactivity to recent probiotic exposure if the history matches.
- Saccharomyces Boulardii IgGLonger-lasting antibody to Saccharomyces boulardii, helping separate supplement exposure from broader fungal immune reactivity.Why it mattersHigh IgG supports prior exposure to probiotic yeast rather than a species-specific Candida signal.
- Food-derived Molds IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to molds encountered through food, broadening the fungal exposure view beyond yeast.Why it mattersElevation suggests a current gut-barrier response to dietary mold antigens.
- Food-derived Molds IgGLonger-lasting antibody to food-derived molds, capturing cumulative immune exposure to non-yeast fungi.Why it mattersHigh IgG reflects durable immune memory to molds from foods, not Candida.
- Microbiome4
- Aerobic Enteropathogens IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to oxygen-tolerant gut pathogens, used to compare bacterial and fungal immune signals.Why it mattersElevation suggests current barrier immune contact with aerobic bacterial pathogens.
- Aerobic Enteropathogens IgGLonger-lasting antibody to oxygen-tolerant gut pathogens, adding a bacterial exposure signal to the fungal pattern.Why it mattersHigh IgG points to sustained immune exposure to aerobic gut pathogens.
- Anaerobic Enteropathogens IgAGut-lining-skewed antibody to oxygen-avoiding gut bacteria, read against barrier and self-reactivity markers.Why it mattersElevation suggests current barrier immune contact with anaerobic bacterial antigens.
- Anaerobic Enteropathogens IgGLonger-lasting antibody to oxygen-avoiding gut bacteria, including species studied in microbial mimicry research.Why it mattersHigh IgG may connect gut bacterial exposure with the panel's self-reactivity signals.
About BiomeBurden™ Complete - Myco, Micro & Immune Evaluation
Your gut contains fungi as well as bacteria. Most of the time your immune system tolerates them. This panel looks for signs that tolerance may be fraying.
This is a research-stage panel, not a diagnostic test. No published study has validated this exact combination. Some markers have human evidence, especially anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody, or ASCA. Others are extrapolated from fungal biology, gut-barrier research, and immune-cell studies. That makes the pattern useful as a lead, not a verdict.
What This Panel Reveals
The panel starts with antibodies to Candida, the yeast most likely to overgrow in a disturbed gut. It covers common Candida and non-albicans species, some of which are harder to treat when they cause true infection. Candida often lives in healthy guts. The question is not just whether it is present, but whether your immune system is treating it as a problem.
Two markers aim at the behavior shift. Candidalysin is a toxin made during Candida's thread-form growth. Germ tube proteins appear during that same early switch. Antibodies to these markers are exploratory in this setting; no study has validated a blood anti-candidalysin or anti-germ-tube test as a readout of Candida's thread-form growth in your gut. They are meant to strengthen the case that the immune system is seeing a more irritating Candida form, not just background yeast exposure. In human-gut Candida strains tested in mice, candidalysin helped drive Th17 inflammation. Th17 cells are white blood cells that push inflammation and antifungal defense.
Another group measures immune reactions to Saccharomyces, the yeast used in baking, brewing, and some probiotic products, plus food-derived molds. ASCA has the strongest clinical footing here. ASCA reacts with mannan sugars on the yeast cell wall. In one Crohn's disease cohort, ASCA was positive in 57 percent of people with Crohn's disease and 8 percent of healthy controls. Higher ASCA also tracked with small-bowel and more severe disease patterns. That does not make ASCA a Crohn's test by itself. It means yeast-directed immunity can be one clue in the right setting.
The panel also measures antibodies to gut bacteria and to a few of your own proteins: alpha-enolase, actin, and ubiquitin. This is the panel's self-reactivity hypothesis. A microbe can carry a look-alike protein close enough to one of yours that the immune system reacts to both. Researchers call this molecular mimicry. Bacteroides fragilis, a common gut bacterium, can encode a ubiquitin-like protein that is 63 percent identical to human ubiquitin, and human antibodies can cross-react with it. That makes ubiquitin antibodies plausible as an exploratory bridge from gut microbes to self-reactivity, not a stand-alone autoimmune diagnosis.
Finally, the panel counts immune cells directly. Regulatory T cells, often shortened to Treg cells, are the brakes. Th17 cells are one of the accelerators. A Th17/Treg ratio tilted toward Th17 has been reported in inflammatory bowel disease and several autoimmune conditions. Here it is best read as the cellular backdrop for the antibody pattern.
How to Read Your Results Together
No marker here is diagnostic alone. The value comes from patterns across the groups.
| Pattern | What It Can Mean |
|---|---|
| Candida antibodies high, but candidalysin and germ tube antibodies low | More consistent with exposure or colonization than a thread-form Candida signal. |
| Candida antibodies high with candidalysin and germ tube antibodies high | An exploratory signal only. Anti-candidalysin and germ tube assays are not validated diagnostics, so confirm any concern with stool testing. |
| ASCA high with bacterial-pathogen antibodies high | Loss of tolerance to yeast and bacteria, the immune pattern often discussed in Crohn's disease. |
| Your-own-protein antibodies high with a Th17/Treg tilt | A gut-linked self-reactivity pattern. Pair it with standard autoimmune labs if symptoms fit. |
| Scattered mild antibody elevations with normal T-cell balance | Often fits exposure history rather than a clear disease pattern. |
One caveat shapes every reading. These antibodies reflect exposure and immune memory, not a live count of organisms in your gut today. A high result says your immune system has reacted. It does not prove that a specific organism is overgrowing right now.
What to Do with Your Results
Treat elevations as leads. If fungal and barrier-pattern markers are high and you have gut symptoms, check stool calprotectin first. Calprotectin is a stool marker of gut inflammation. Then use stool testing for fungi and bacteria if the pattern still fits. Endoscopy belongs in the picture when symptoms, calprotectin, or other standard findings point to inflammatory bowel disease.
If your-own-protein antibodies and T-cell balance point toward wider immune activation, pair this panel with an autoimmune workup. A single value is weaker than a trend. These antibodies vary widely among healthy people. If you retest after a targeted change, compare direction rather than treating one result as an endpoint.
When Results Can Be Misleading
Several things can move many markers at once. Anti-Candida antibodies can be measurable in healthy adults and vary widely, so a positive result by itself does not mean overgrowth. Bread, beer, and probiotic yeast shape exposure history, but diet alone does not explain every high ASCA result. A recent infection can temporarily shift T-helper counts. ASCA reacts with mannan sugars shared by many yeasts, so a high ASCA points at yeast-directed immunity, not one species.