The classic biological definition of parasitism is “a symbiotic relationship where one member, the parasite, gains benefits that come at the expense of the host”. This means only the unwelcome guest gains nutritional and/or protective benefits while the host’s health suffers. However, emerging research indicates low-level infections could be beneficial because of the complex relationship […]
Bartonella and the Brain
People with vector-borne infections often report a variety of symptoms that originate in the central nervous system. How can all of these different pathogens have so many symptoms that overlap? As Galaxy Diagnostics president and CEO Amanda Elam wrote in her 10-year reflection, “our bodies are complex biological systems with only a few ways to […]
The Basics of Serology
Reading a diagnostic company’s menu can often feel like interpreting another language. The commonly used name of an infection may not be listed, and the scientific name of the pathogen may not be familiar (e.g., Lyme disease vs. Borrelia burgdorferi). To make things more difficult, acronyms for the testing methods can seem like randomly grouped [...]
Tick-Borne Infection Risk in Blood Transfusion
The risk of tick-borne infection from blood donation is hotly debated, with very little information available. Certain research studies that may clarify the risk have been done in mice but are not ethical to do in people. Meanwhile, current tests for these infections have low sensitivity and specificity (low accuracy). Consequently, it is difficult to […]
Biofilms: What are they? How do they impact chronic infections?
Chronic infections can persist for various reasons. A weakened host immune system may provide a suitable environment for bacteria to thrive long-term. Likewise, re-infections could take place due to shared habitats between host and vector. The ability for tick-borne pathogens, like Bartonella and Borrelia, to form biofilms is another possibility that clinicians and researchers are […]
What are lymph nodes? How do they respond to a Bartonella species infection?
Lymph nodes have been called the “upper management” of the immune system by journalist Matt Richtel. Some of the more impressive aspects of the immune system, such as the ability to recognize pathogens that may have been encountered years earlier, occur in the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are scattered throughout the body. Some are as […]
