Galaxy Radar – Week of August 12, 2024

Identifying Cutaneous Bacillary Angiomatosis

Bacillary Angiomatosis in a Patient with HIV and Disseminated Mycobacterium avium Complex Infection by IP Caceres, A Ruml, R Montejano, O Jalali and T Rosen publishing from Baylor College of Medicine – A patient with untreated HIV had bacillary angiomatosis but was seronegative for Bartonella species. Staining and PCR of her lesions revealed B. henselae. She was also found to have MAC, a combination of infections with only two previous case reports.

US physicians rarely see bacillary angiomatosis, and the article has photos of lesions on several different skin areas. Lesions are sometimes visually indistinguishable from Kaposi’s sarcoma. In addition to the nodules seen here, subcutaneous lesions can cause abscesses, and lesions can occur in all organs.

Contact us to find out more about tissue testing at Galaxy Diagnostics.

mNGS for Diagnosis of Infectious Uveitis

Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for the Diagnosis of Viral Infectious Uveitis and Its Mimics by C-B Sun, Y Chen, J Li, Q Xiao, G Liu & Z Liu publishing from Hangzhou & Xi’an, China – In a study of using mNGS to diagnose uveitis, 4 of the 70 patients had negative results from mNGS but positive results from other tests.

PCR is generally more sensitive than NGS techniques. However, when PCR is not positive for clinically likely pathogens, NGS techniques can go beyond the initial suspects. The researchers concluded that mNGS was useful when PCR tests were negative and infection was suspected.

Obtainment of Prescribed Analgesics among Patients with Lyme Neuroborreliosis; a Nationwide, Population-Based Matched Cohort Study by MM Tetens et al. publishing from Denmark – A study of pain medication and Lyme neuroborreliosis in Denmark found use went up three months before diagnosis. Most patients stopped the medication by 2.5 years after diagnosis.

Zoonotic Risk and Immunocompromised Children

Zoonosis Screening in Spanish Immunocompromised Children and Their Pets – P Garcia-Sanchez et al. publishing from Spain – In a One Health study of immunocompromised children and their pets, both the pets and the children had a high number of potential shared pathogens. However, only one out of 74 children carried a pathogen that was also found in their pet.

How to handle zoonotic risk for immunocompromised people is an area where veterinary medicine and human medicine have not generally come together to develop unified guidelines. See also Cat Scratch Disease: What to Do with the Cat?, co-authored by Galaxy Diagnostics Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder Dr. Edward Breitschwerdt.

For general tips on avoiding cat scratch disease, the website Catster recently published some tips.

Zoonotic Causes of Cytokine Storm Syndrome

Zoonotic Bacterial Infections Triggering Cytokine Storm Syndrome by ZK Otrock & CS Eby publishing from Henry Ford Hospital & Washington University School of Medicine – Cytokine Storm Syndrome is a new book from Springer that contains a chapter on zoonotic bacterial infections that can trigger the condition, including Rickettsia, Ehrlichia and Bartonella.

From Galaxy Diagnostics CEO, Nicole Bell

Lyme Diagnostics – Changing the Standard of Care, a Personal Reflection from Nicole Bell, CEO of Galaxy Diagnostics – In a new blog post, Galaxy Diagnostics CEO Nicole Bell shares her personal introduction to the challenges of #LymeDisease diagnostics and Galaxy Diagnostics’ mission to change the standard.

Find out more about the first revolution in direct detection of Lyme disease, the Lyme Borrelia Nanotrap Antigen Test, available only at Galaxy Diagnostics.

The Bartonella quintana and Head Lice Debate

Bartonella quintana Detection among Arthropods and Their Hosts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by C Boodman, N Gupta, J van Griensven & W Van Bortel publishing from Canada, Belgium & India – A meta-review of studies of Bartonella quintana in head lice notes that the bacteria has been found in a limited set of circumstances. Whether they are a competent vector (able to infect another person with the pathogen) remains to be tested.

Defining a Dementia

Clinical Criteria for a Limbic-Predominant Amnestic Neurodegenerative Syndrome by N Corriveau-Lecavalier et al. publishing from the Mayo Clinic, University of Kentucky & the CIEN Foundation – Researchers at the Mayo Clinic and with the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative propose criteria for limbic-predominant amnestic neurodegenerative syndrome, a cause of slow-progressing memory loss that may sometimes be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. More accurate diagnosis would provide patients and their families with a more accurate prognosis and guide the use of available therapeutics.

Endemic Malaria Hides Other Causes of Febrile Disease

Health Facility-Based Prevalence of Typhoid Fever, Typhus and Malaria among Individuals Suspected of Acute Febrile Illnesses in Southwest Region, Ethiopia by M Abeyneh, M Aberad, Y Habtemariam & Y Alemu publishing from Jimma University & Mizan-Tepi University – Predominant disease trends and inadequate diagnostic tools can hide less common diseases. In this study of suspected malaria patients in Southwest Ethiopia, 11% of the patients had S. typhi and 10% had Rickettsia species infections.

We previously highlighted a report from Senegal, indicating that malaria control in that region was making it easier to diagnose less common febrile illnesses.

Revisiting the Indigenous and Early US History of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

The Blight of the Bitterroot, the Mysterious Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and the Significant Role of Wilson and Chowning – A Commentary by D Heyneman publishing from the University of California, San Francisco – In this publication from 2001, a review of the first knowledge of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, known to Indigenous people as existing in an inhospitable geography. Later, an outbreak affected property values. A future director of the Mayo Clinic was one of the first to establish a full epidemiology that accounted for the ecology originally described by Indigenous people and early forestry workers.

Genetic Groupings of Pathogens and Ticks

Characterization of the Family-Level Borreliaceae Pan-Genome and Development of an Episomal Typing Protocol (pre-print) by KM Socarras et al. publishing from Drexel University & Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center – Borrelia has a high level of genetic diversity, making for diverse symptoms and inaccurate testing. In this publication, researchers ask, is it time to rethink the classifications of the entire Borreliaceae family?

Genome Resequencing Reveals Population Divergence and Local Adaptation of Blacklegged Ticks in the United States by SD Schoville et al. publishing from the United States – A genetic study of ticks in the United States finds that regional groups of ticks are fairly genetically isolated, even with more recent range expansion. As tick strains can influence their suitability as pathogen vectors, this information is important to understanding local risk levels for tick-borne pathogens.

Air Monitoring of Zoonotic Disease

Pulling Lifesaving Data out of Thin Air, Literally, an FAO Feature Story – Cutting-edge techniques for One Health monitoring in Cambodia include sending drones to collect samples of air out of bat caves and using air sampling devices on farms.

Galaxy Diagnostics Calendar

Project Lyme Gala on September 24, 2024 – Meet Galaxy Diagnostics CEO Nicole Bell and Cofounder Amanda Elam at the event.

ILADS Annual Scientific Conference, November 7-10, 2024 – Galaxy Diagnostics speakers will include CEO Nicole Bell. Find us in the exhibitor hall.