MicroGenDX Europe: Advanced DNA-Based UTI Testing
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Did you know that MicroGenDX Europe launched in 2025 to provide better access and faster turnaround times for patients in the EU and surrounding countries?
Why is better access to urinary tract infection testing so important?
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide, yet for many people, especially those with recurrent or chronic symptoms, diagnosis remains inadequate.
If you’ve ever been told your UTI test results are “normal” despite persistent symptoms, you’re not alone.
Standard urine culture (SUC), as it is used in clinical practice today, was developed in the 1950s and has since become the routine diagnostic approach for UTIs. However, it was not designed for lower urinary tract infections, and recent evidence has highlighted the many limitations of SUC for this purpose.
“All of the culture tests that I took didn’t find any cause of infection. It was frustrating because it was like, well then, what is wrong? Why do I still feel these symptoms?” – Kelsey
The Limitations of Standard Urine Culture
SUC has low sensitivity, meaning it can fail to detect bacteria that are actually present, and may miss up to 67% of uropathogens.
It also uses high bacterial thresholds, meaning a certain amount of bacteria must be present before a result is considered positive. This can exclude patients with lower bacterial counts who still have symptoms of infection. As a result, many urinary tract infections go undiagnosed.
Beyond the limitations of infection detection, inadequate testing can have a significant impact on quality of life. Recurrent symptoms, such as pain, urgency, and frequency, affect many aspects of life, including daily activities, sleep, mental well-being, and the ability to work or socialise.
These shortcomings have led to increasing calls for more sensitive, modern testing methods that better reflect patients’ experiences.
When infections are not accurately identified, patients can find themselves taking multiple courses of antibiotics that don’t resolve their symptoms, while also feeling that their symptoms are not being taken seriously. Emerging research increasingly highlights the need for diagnostic approaches that better capture the complexity of urinary infections, including the presence of diverse or low-level microbial communities. Improving testing is therefore not only a clinical priority but also an important step toward improving patient outcomes and experiences.
“It wasn’t one particular bacterium. It was evolving, and different things were happening in my system. Without MicroGenDX, we wouldn’t have found that. It identified and targeted five different bacteria… and solved all the problems and I have been healthy ever since.” – Jenny
How More Comprehensive UTI Testing Can Improve Treatment Outcomes
Accurate and timely diagnosis remains a significant challenge in treating UTIs, often resulting in ineffective treatment plans and prolonged patient discomfort. When standard testing approaches fail to detect the organisms driving symptoms and cannot determine whether antibiotic resistance is likely to be an issue, clinicians are left without the information needed to guide effective treatment. As a result, patients frequently cycle through repeated antibiotic courses, experience ongoing symptoms, and face delays in achieving meaningful recovery.
Improved diagnostic tools provide clinicians with clearer, more actionable information about the infection, helping them tailor treatment.
This is where newer technologies, like those offered by MicroGenDX Europe, are beginning to reshape the conversation.
MicroGenDX was founded in the United States and has spent over a decade building a clinically validated, evidence-based approach to genomic sequencing for infection-related diagnostics. In 2025, MicroGenDX Europe partnered with a laboratory in Germany to provide faster turnaround times for patients based in Europe, Turkey and Israel. As a result, samples from these regions no longer need to be shipped to the United States and can instead be processed within Europe, reducing delays and improving access to testing.
How can MicroGenDX Europe help Identify Infection?
If your urinary symptoms keep returning, or you receive negative UTI test results despite ongoing discomfort, MicroGenDX Europe testing may be helpful in identifying the specific microbes present in your sample, while supporting a more targeted treatment pathway.
What Tests Does MicroGenDX Europe Offer?
| Test Name | Description |
| UroKEY | A urine-based test to support the evaluation of urinary tract and pelvic symptoms. |
| VaginalKEY | A vaginal swab designed to assess vaginal and lower genitourinary health. |
| WomensKEY | Urine and vaginal swab testing to provide a broad view of one’s pelvic health. |
| MensKEY | Urine and semen testing to support the diagnosis of male urinary and reproductive tract infections. |
| RectalKEY | Rectal swab to characterise rectal microbial flora. |
How to Order a MicroGenDX Europe KEY-Test
MicroGenDX Europe offers flexible options to enable access to their tests, whether you’re working with a clinician or ordering directly.
Ordering a Test
How to order testing from MicroGenDX, based on your location:
- All European countries (except the UK)
- The United Kingdom via Regenerus Laboratories
- Turkey
- Israel
- United States
- The rest of the world
Currently, MicroGenDX is unable to ship to Africa, China, and Russia. Samples shipped from Europe, Turkey and Israel will be supported by the MicroGenDX Europe laboratory in Germany. Samples shipped from elsewhere will be supported by the MicroGenDX US laboratory.
What is the best way for patients to order a test?
Patients based in Europe, Turkey, or Israel can order and pay for a MicroGenDX test directly via the website. Typically, the sample collection kit will arrive in 2-3 days from shipping. Patients in other regions should use the links above.
What is the best way for clinicians to order a test?
Clinicians can order a test in three ways: 1) registering at Microgendx.eu, 2) writing to the customer support team, or 3) by completing the contact form.
Clinicians can also schedule an online appointment with one of MicroGenDX’s representatives to discuss more about testing options.
What’s Included in the Test Kit?
If you’re ordering a MicroGenDX Europe test to use at home, the kit is designed to make sample collection as straightforward as possible.
While the exact contents may vary slightly depending on the test you choose, most kits include:
- A shipping box and a pre-paid return label
- A biohazard lab bag
- A lab requisition form
- Step-by-step sample collection instructions
The instruction manual outlines everything in the kit and provides clear guidance on how to collect a urine or swab sample.
MicroGenDX also offers a short collection-method video for each test, providing a visual walkthrough of the test.
Receiving and Interpreting Your Results
Once your sample is received by the laboratory, the standard return time is approximately 5–7 days. MicroGenDX is working to reduce this timeframe, with faster processing expected in the future.
MicroGenDX Europe reports are designed to provide both laboratory data and clinically relevant context.
The report is typically divided into two main sections:
Laboratory Findings
On the left-hand side, the report shows the laboratory findings from the test. This section presents the core test results, including:
- The bacteria and fungi detected, in order of quantity
- The relative abundance (%) of each organism
- The total bacterial load measured by qPCR (this indicates the overall quantity of bacterial DNA detected)
- The identified antibiotic resistance genes
Clinical Reference Information
The right-hand side of the report is intended to support clinicians in interpreting the results and considering possible treatment options. This section includes:
- Reference-based information on potential antimicrobial options
- The key characteristics of detected organisms, such as Gram stain outcome and oxygen requirements
On the back of the report, a table lists the specific antibiotic-resistance genes tested by the laboratory, alongside the antibiotics they are known to affect. If one of these genes is detected, it may indicate that certain antibiotics are less likely to be effective against the bacteria.
You can find an example of a UroKEY test report here.
How can MicroGenDX Europe help Identify Infection?
If your urinary symptoms keep returning, or you receive negative UTI test results despite ongoing discomfort, MicroGenDX Europe testing may be helpful in identifying the specific microbes present in your sample, while supporting a more targeted treatment pathway.
A Two-Technology Approach: qPCR + NGS
MicroGenDX Europe offers several genomic sequencing-based tests for urogenital health, combining two complementary technologies to provide a rapid and in-depth microbial profile:
- Quantitative PCR (qPCR)
qPCR rapidly detects specific, clinically relevant pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes. This includes 17 resistance genes from key antibiotic classes, including beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, macrolides, and tetracyclines.
NGS analyses all microbial DNA in a sample, comparing it to a database of organisms to enable identification. MicroGenDX Europe uses a database of more than 50,000 organisms to identify bacteria and fungi that traditional methods often miss.
Together, qPCR and NGS deliver both rapid identification of key pathogens and selected antibiotic resistance genes, as well as broad detection of the entire microbial community in the sample. Learn more about the tests offered by MicroGenDX Europe by downloading their patient brochure.
What’s the Difference between SUC, PCR and NGS Testing?
| Standard urine culture (SUC) | PCR Testing | Next-Generation DNA Sequencing | |
| How does the test work? | Identifies growth of organisms in a sample | Detects specific and targeted bacteria by assessing DNA present | Analyses and identifies all microbial DNA in a sample |
| What can the test detect? | Bacteria that grow in laboratory conditions | Specific bacteria that are included in the test panel | Detect all organisms present in the sample |
| Can the test detect biofilms? | Rarely | Possible, if the correct species are targeted | Yes, detects DNA from microbes within biofilms |
| Can the test detect multiple organisms at once? | Often misses co-infections or less dominant pathogens | Detects multiple pathogens if included in the test panel | Identifies all organisms against an extensive database |
| Can the test detect fungal infections? | Rarely, some pathogens require a week or more to grow or may not grow at all | Detects fungi if included in the test panel | Yes, can detect a wide range of fungi quickly |
| Sample handling | Very sensitive to conditions (temperature, oxygen, time) | DNA is generally stable | DNA is generally stable |
The KEY-Tests detect a large range of bacteria and fungi by analysing the microbial DNA in a sample and determining which organisms the DNA belongs to. The test can identify many different types of bacteria and fungi, including:
- Aerobic bacteria (require oxygen for survival and growth)
- Anaerobic bacteria (do not require oxygen for survival and growth)
- Fastidious bacteria (complex or particular nutritional requirements)
- Fungi (yeasts and moulds)
Importantly, this type of technology can identify microbes that are difficult or impossible to grow in standard culture, providing insights into complex infections that may otherwise be missed.
How Do the KEY-Tests Perform Antibiotic Resistance Assessments?
MicroGenDX Europe uses PCR technology to assess antibiotic resistance, which occurs when bacteria stop responding to antibiotics, making them harder to treat.
PCR technology is used to detect 17 key antibiotic resistance genes, while both PCR and NGS are used to identify the microbes present in the sample.
Unlike traditional culture-based testing, PCR and NGS do not directly grow the bacteria and test each antibiotic against them. Instead, PCR technology looks for known genetic resistance markers, providing valuable information to help clinicians make more informed decisions about targeted treatment options.
Who are MicroGenDX Europe?
Founded in 2007 in the United States, MicroGenDX is a diagnostics company specialising in DNA sequencing-based infection testing. Combining quantitative PCR (qPCR), next-generation sequencing (NGS) and advanced bioinformatics, their technology identifies bacteria and fungi directly from clinical samples with up to 99% accuracy by comparing against a database of more than 50,000 microbes. With over a decade of expertise in qPCR and NGS techniques, the company has processed patient samples from more than 80 countries worldwide.
Over time, DNA-based diagnostics technology has proven valuable across many areas of medicine. Today, MicroGenDX applies this approach in fields such as wound care, urology, hospital-treated infections, and orthopaedics, offering a range of testing solutions. The company has also published more than 100 scientific publications supporting its work.
“For patients living with recurrent infections, the hardest part is often not knowing why treatments keep failing. Our goal at MicroGenDX Europe is to provide clearer answers through advanced genomic testing, so clinicians can move beyond trial-and-error prescribing and deliver more targeted, effective care. By improving the accuracy and accessibility of diagnostics across Europe, we’re helping reduce delays, minimise unnecessary antibiotic use, and ultimately improve quality of life for patients who have often been searching for solutions for far too long.” – Elena Friedmann
As the company has grown, so has access to its testing. By 2023, more than 750,000 combined qPCR and NGS tests had been performed worldwide. In 2025, MicroGenDX Europe launched to help patients and clinicians across Europe access testing more quickly.
This has been made possible through their Germany-based partner laboratory, Labor Dr. Fenner. MicroGenDX Europe aims to support more informed clinical decisions by providing patient-oriented, high-quality services. Working with leading medical experts and laboratory partners, MicroGenDX invests in clinical studies to provide broad microbial detection and detection of antibiotic resistance genes.
