Clinical Utility of Stool DNA Testing

Recent advances in molecular diagnostics have established stool DNA testing as a robust diagnostic tool for infectious diarrhea and colorectal neoplasia in clinical practice. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays facilitate the rapid and simultaneous detection of numerous pathogens in stool samples, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and supporting the optimization of antibiotic therapy for infectious diarrhea. Stool DNA tests targeting cancer-specific epigenetic biomarkers provide superior sensitivity for the early detection of colorectal cancer compared to fecal immunochemical tests. As molecular diagnostic technologies continue to evolve, the integration of artificial intelligence and multi-omics targets such as RNA and microbiome may further enhance the clinical performance of stool-based testing in the near future.