Ticks can be a hospitable environment for a wide range of microorganisms that harm people and their pets. The question is, when are these pathogens a risk to people and animals? Does the microbiome of the tick gut have a different effect on disease risk than the microbiome of its saliva? The invention of PCR […]
How Vector-Borne Diseases Impact Heart Health
Both bartonellosis and Lyme disease are associated with dangerous heart conditions that can be fatal in some cases. According to the CDC, 11 cases of fatal Lyme carditis have been reported between 1985 and 2019, however, researchers suspect there are more undetected cases. The heart has three critical aspects that can be affected by disease: […]
The Role of Host Response in Chronic Illnesses
Here at Galaxy Diagnostics, we are often asked “Why do symptoms for bartonellosis vary between patients so much?” and “How do I know that my symptoms are related to Bartonella species infection?” The simple yet frustrating answer for patients and physicians alike is that chronic flea- and tick-borne illnesses are complex and typically do not […]
For Lyme Disease Awareness Month: Occupational Risk and Zoonotic Diseases
When mounted police officer Margie Raimondi developed fatigue and muscle pain after a year on the job, she sought medical help and tested positive for Lyme disease. After treatment she returned to work, but eventually after a fall she could no longer work and applied for workers compensation benefits. People who have an adverse experience […]
Ehrlichiosis: A Tick-borne Illness That Can Imitate Blood-Related Cancers
Ehrlichiosis, or an infection caused by Ehrlichia species, is a tick-borne illness that causes mild to severe symptoms in approximately 1,500 patients per year in the United States and an unspecified number around the world. The nonspecific symptoms of the infection can lead to misdiagnosis. Furthermore, research in North Carolina suggests that testing for Ehrlichia […]
How do antibiotics eliminate bacteria while keeping you healthy?
Antibiotic medications have a tricky job: kill the target single-celled organisms without causing so much damage to the host animal that it would be better off with the infection. Many treatments that seem promising in a petri dish can’t make that leap. So how do antibiotics work anyway? Before the era of modern broad-spectrum antibiotics, […]
