A One Health Need: Improved Surveillance of Zoonotic Diseases in Animals
One Health principles draw the connections between human, animal and environmental health. It wasn’t so long ago that the heroic work of a veterinary pathologist at a zoo connected the deaths of wild urban animals and zoo animals to the deaths of New York residents from the newly introduced West Nile Virus. Monitoring of animals […]
Ruminant Bartonella species: What are they? Are they harmful?
Bartonella species are bacteria present in wild and domesticated animal populations throughout the world. It is important to be aware of the breadth of Bartonella species, including those associated with cows, sheep, deer, and other ruminants, because of their potential role in both animal and human disease. Research on the Bartonella genus over the past […]
5 Questions to Discuss with Your Physician When Bartonellosis Is Suspected
Laboratory tests are important tools that physicians use to diagnose patients. When it comes to stealth pathogens, however, testing is often only a piece of the puzzle. Physicians must understand the pathogens and the symptoms they may cause as well as assess the likelihood that the patient is infected to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. […]
How do patients find a blood draw service once they have a kit?
Patients who receive Galaxy’s kits often require assistance finding a service to collect the samples. The novel coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated this issue for specialty laboratory testing specifically. Many physicians have converted their practices to telemedicine and hospitals have put stricter guidelines into place, leaving patients to find other means for specimen collection. Phlebotomy is […]
What are subspecies, strains, and clades in viruses and bacteria?
On June 2, 2020, Nextstrain clarified the clade naming for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This brings up the question: What do the terms “subspecies”, “strain” and “clade” mean, and why does it matter to you? In taxonomy (the science of naming and classifying biology), the word “clade” isn’t used only to divide a […]