A common misconception regarding Bartonella henselae infection, sometimes known as cat scratch disease (CSD), is that cats are the “bad guy” in the situation. Cats and other animals have been a part of human life for millennia and have documented positive effects on mental and physical wellness. Cats are natural reservoirs for Bartonella henselae, and […]
Vector-Borne Disease and Skin: Your First Layer of Defense
Skin is the largest human organ. It is also the first place that flea and tick-borne pathogens encounter the human immune system. While some skin symptoms are signature markers for specific pathogens or families of pathogens, others provide hard-to-interpret clues that can be linked to a wide variety of diseases. Lyme borreliosis and bartonellosis are […]
Breaking down the Bartonella spp. ePCR Triple Blood Draw: How does it work?
Galaxy customers often ask our team, “Why do results for a Bartonella ePCR test take 3 weeks?” By the time a customer has decided to get a Bartonella ePCR triple draw test they may have had symptoms for some time, seen many doctors, and made difficult decisions about where to spend their healthcare dollars. We […]
Ticks are out for the summer: How can bites be prevented?
People who have experienced symptoms related to tick-borne disease generally say they wouldn’t wish these illnesses on anyone. Despite the educational information tick-borne disease patients repeatedly provide in the media and to their friends, many people do not act to prevent tick bites when participating in activities that may put them at risk. The Tick-Borne […]
Ticks: A Complex Microbiome
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: […]
