In their recent report to congress, the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG) emphasizes the importance of tick-borne disease surveillance, specifically for Lyme Disease. In this post, we will explore what Lyme disease and co-infection surveillance looks like now and what an improved surveillance system might look like. As mentioned in our recent Bartonella prevalence post, […]
Tick-Borne Diseases in Humans and Animals
Ticks are much more than an itchy irritant searching for a blood meal. They are tiny creatures that pack a big punch by being very efficient vectors, tied only with mosquitos for the number of diseases they can effectively carry and transmit. Ticks pose a serious health threat to both humans and animals and the […]
Keep Animals Safe This Summer
The clocks turn forward, the trees start to green up, the days seem longer — the signs of warmer months are upon us, and spring and summer are, thankfully, on their way. This is an excellent time of year for us all (unless, maybe, you live in Arizona), and our Dobermans and dachshunds are sure […]
Tick Testing for Tick-borne Diseases?
Have you wondered what might be in that tick you pulled off your leg or off your dog? Sometimes the least expensive approach to determining disease exposure is testing the tick you carefully removed and saved, just in case. We receive requests for tick testing services regularly. While we don’t do tick testing at Galaxy, there a […]
Now Offering Novel PCR Tests for Tick-borne Disease
We have taken the novel PCR design we developed for Bartonella spp detection and are now offering novel PCR tests for tick-borne disease – Anaplasma spp, Babesia/Theileria spp, Ehrlichia spp and Rickettsia spp. And we have more coming, all targeting pathogens implicated in chronic inflammatory diseases. Stay tuned!
Learn more about Bartonella Infection
Shortly after their discovery in HIV patients in the 1980’s, Bartonella henselae and Bartonella quintana were confirmed by CDC researchers as the key agents behind Cat Scratch Disease and Trench Fever. Emerging research implicates up to 10 newly discovered species of Bartonella in human and animal disease. Bartonella infections can be a serious problem for those with […]