Biotia
For Providers

What is the BIOTIA‑ID Urine Test?

The BIOTIA-ID Urine Test is a clinical metagenomic-based diagnostic test for patients with challenging urinary tract infections.

At a glance

Next-generation urine testing

01

Comprehensive urogenital pathogen detection

02

Outperforms standard urine culture

03

Reflex test for symptomatic, culture-negative patients

04

Optimized antimicrobial therapy with drug resistance profiling

What it is

Advanced diagnostic testing for UTIs

Clinical metagenomics is an advanced form of next-generation sequencing (NGS) that looks for pathogen DNA in biological samples, providing a more complete picture of the microbial community present. The BIOTIA-ID Urine Test applies this technology to urine to enable comprehensive and highly accurate diagnosis of challenging UTI cases.

DNA-based detection

Clinical metagenomics allows us to sequence whole pathogen genomes directly from urine specimens, identifying organisms that standard culture often misses.

Drug resistance profiling

Sequencing whole pathogen genomes allows us to detect a broad panel of antibiotic resistance genes to guide targeted therapy and improve antibiotic stewardship efforts.

Available across all 50 U.S. states

The BIOTIA-ID Urine Test is approved as a laboratory-developed test across all 50 U.S. states. It is available for both in-clinic and at-home collection.

The problem

Problems we solve

#1

UTIs are the most common outpatient infection.

30%

of sepsis cases originate in the urogenital tract.

Immunocompromised patients are at a higher risk of developing urosepsis.

Existing testing options are slow and miss important UTI-causing pathogens.

30%

of urine cultures fail.

1M+

Emergency department visits annually.

$3.2B

Annual emergency department bill for complicated UTI cases.

4 - 7

average number of days a complicated UTI patient is hospitalized.

Why it matters

Outperforms standard urine culture

Broader pathogen detection

Detects a broader range of pathogens than standard urine culture with a higher accuracy, particularly for fastidious, anaerobic, and polymicrobial infections.

Better-matched treatment

Comprehensive drug resistance profiling enables optimal treatment selection without requiring separate antibiotic susceptibility test results.

Fit for telehealth practices

Approved for at-home collection across all 50 U.S. states, allowing telehealth practices to order advanced UTI testing for their patients without requiring an in-person visit.

Comparison

The BIOTIA‑ID Urine Test

The BIOTIA-ID Urine Test outperforms standard urine culture and offers enhanced insights as compared to other next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based testing options.

BIOTIA-ID Urine
Clinical metagenomics
16s sequencing
Standard urine culture
Results turnaround
2–3 business days
2–5 business days
2–5 business days
Price
$249
$259
Varies
Resolution and detail
Detailed — species or strain level resolution
Poor — genus or species, with some groups unresolved
Detailed — genus or species for species that grow
Kinds of microbes
Extensive — bacteria, fungi, anaerobes, fastidious, and atypical pathogens
Limited — bacteria only
Limited — common bacteria and fungi only
Accuracy
High — limited contamination and false positives
Low — high potential for contamination and false positives
Low — high potential for contamination and false negatives
Percent of genome considered
Extensive — thousands of genes across the entire genome
Low — looks at only one gene in a section of the genome
None, not applicable
Future biomarker and therapeutic insights
High
Low
None
Antimicrobial resistance prediction
High — clinically validated resistance reporting
None
Separate testing required
Clinical relevance
High — healthy microbes filtered from report
Low — reports non-pathogenic species
Low — misses pathogenic species
What we detect

44 pathogens, 1 urine test

The BIOTIA-ID Urine Test screens for the bacteria and fungi most often behind urinary tract infections, including organisms routinely missed by standard urine culture. These were carefully selected by our clinical and research team. Rather than reporting every microbe found in urine, we report only the organisms above a clinical threshold and are pathogenic.

Antimicrobial resistance

Built-in resistance profiling for optimal treatment selection

Antimicrobial resistance is complex. An antimicrobial resistance marker is a gene that, when expressed by a pathogen, helps it survive in the presence of antibiotic or antifungal medications. Importantly, the presence of these genes does not necessarily confer resistance. There are certain genes that have a higher likelihood of conferring resistance when present – these are the genes the BIOTIA-ID Urine Test reports. Our test provides information specifically about genes that code for beta-lactam, trimethoprim/sulfonamide, and glycopeptide resistance mechanisms that when present are likely to confer resistance.

May 19, 2026PR Newswire
Biotia Launches Clinically-Approved Drug Resistance Reporting for Complicated UTIs, Backed by Second Consecutive CAMDA Win
Read

Highlights

  • Highly accurate phenotypic resistance prediction from genomic information
  • Awarded "Best Prediction Accuracy" in the 2025 and 2026 Critical Assessment of Massive Data Analysis (CAMDA) AMR Challenges
  • Approved for use as part of the BIOTIA-ID Urine Test across all 50 U.S. states
Antibiotic class
Resistance mechanism
Genes
Description
Beta-lactam
Extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)
blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaSHV
ESBLs which might be specific to a wide range beta-lactams including cephalosporins and penicillins
Beta-lactam
Carbapenemases
blaACT, blaADC, blaCMY, blaKPC, blaNDM, blaPDC, blaOXA, blaVIM
Commonly found in Enterobacteriaceae, have enzymatic activity against carbapenems, penicillins, cephalosporins and monobactams
Beta-lactam
Penicillin binding protein (PBP2a) mutants
mecA, mecB, mecC
Encodes low-affinity PBP2a, confers high resistance against methicillin/oxacillin. Key resistance marker in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Folate pathway inhibitors
Trimethoprim/sulfonamide (TMP/SUL)
dfrA, dfrB, dfrG, sul1, sul2
Mutant proteins which evade the effect of folate pathway inhibitors and confer resistance against trimethoprim/sulfonamides.
Glycopeptides
VAN-A/B
vanA, vanB
Commonly found in Enterococci, confer vancomycin or teicoplanin resistance.
CLINICIAN-BACKED

Built in collaboration with leading clinicians

Dr. Angelish Kumar

Dr. Angelish Kumar

Clinical Advisor
"This cutting-edge technology allows for more precise and timely identification of atypical urogenital pathogens that often evade standard testing methods. By bridging this diagnostic gap, NGS technology may become an invaluable tool in tailoring targeted and effective treatment plans, ultimately elevating the standard of care for our most vulnerable patients suffering from complicated and recurrent UTI."
Dr. Michael H. Augenbraun
Clinical Collaborator
Dr. Michael H. Augenbraun

Disclaimer

NYS LDT Approved Diagnostic Test

The BIOTIA-ID Urine NGS Assay has been approved by New York State Department of Health's Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program as an in vitro diagnostic laboratory developed test (LDT). This assay was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Biotia. The assay has not been cleared or approved by the FDA, nor is it required to be. The Biotia Laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA '88) and is accredited to perform high-complexity clinical laboratory testing.