A new research study published by the Bartonella research team at NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine links Bartonella infection to rheumatologic symptoms in patients with historical diagnoses of Lyme disease, arthritis, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia. For more more information, see: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/5/11-1366_article.htm
New research links Bartonella to arthritis symptoms
posted by admin on April 18th, 2012Galaxy Diagnostics receives Florida testing permit
posted by admin on March 28th, 2012We are now authorized to accept human health test orders from the state of Florida. Please see order instructions on our Human Health page for more information.
7th Annual Bartonella Research Conference, April 25-28 2012
posted by admin on February 7th, 2012This important research conference will bring together researchers and clinicians from around the world to share the latest research findings on Bartonella. The conference will be held in Raleigh, NC this year and is open to the public. For more information, see http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/conted/icbmvp7.html.
Bartonella featured in Miami area veterinary newsletter
posted by admin on June 22nd, 2011Dr. Jeff Toll, of Advanced Veterinary Medicine in Miami, FL, recently published an article by Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt, Galaxy CSO, entitled “Bartonella: Elusive Bacteria and Emerging Health Issue”.
It is an excellent overview of Bartonella infections in dogs and cats, and reinforces the need to use flea and tick prevention treatments to control the transmission of the bacteria.
AVM Newsletter June 2011 click to read
Galaxy Diagnostics Awarded SBIR Grant from NIH/NIAID
posted by admin on June 22nd, 2011Company to develop test kit
Research Triangle Park, NC – Galaxy Diagnostics was awarded an $188,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institutes for Health (NIH) to further develop their Bartonella detection technology.
“We are very grateful that the NIH/NIAID recognizes the importance of better testing for Bartonella, and this grant will help us further refine our test methodology and develop test kits to make this test more widely available.” said Dr. Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM, co-inventor of the patented testing technology and Chief Science Officer of Galaxy Diagnostics.
Galaxy’s EnrichmentPCR™ test targets a genus of bacteria called Bartonella. Best known as the key agent in Cat Scratch Disease (CSD), Bartonella is increasingly implicated in a wide range of chronic animal and human health conditions affecting the central nervous system, joints, and vascular system. Transmission of the bacteria from host animals is thought to occur most often by flea/tick bites and by animal bites and scratches. Bartonella is extremely difficult to detect – conventional tests suffer a high degree of false negatives, leading to missed diagnosis and treatment.
“In 2004, this bacteria was described as a ‘stealth pathogen’ by Merrell and Falkow in Nature Magazine, and is perhaps one of the greatest public health issues in the coming years,” said Dr. Breitschwerdt. “It is important to test your pets to know if they carry Bartonella, and follow a strict regimen of flea and tick treatment to prevent transmission to family members.”
Galaxy offers EnrichmentPCR™ for animal testing and will be offering testing services for human health later this summer.
About Galaxy Diagnostics
Galaxy Diagnostics is a clinical testing company providing physicians and veterinarians with the most effective test available for the detection of active Bartonella infection in patients. Developed by research scientists at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, EnrichmentPCR™, combines state-or-the-art molecular detection methods with a patented growth medium for detecting the presence of Bartonella DNA, improving accuracy by more than a factor of 4 over other available techniques. Our mission is to provide the most accurate and highest quality Bartonella testing available in both Animal Health and Human Health markets. Galaxy Diagnostics is a recent graduate of the First Flight Venture Center. Visit Galaxy Diagnostics at http://www.galaxydx.com.
About First Flight Venture Center
First Flight Venture Center (FFVC) provides incubation and acceleration of new technologies in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area. FFVC has hosted over 200 companies with a cumulative economic impact of over $800M. Tenants are provided business formation, product development and market commercialization programs to help them grow and expand their businesses. At present, FFVC hosts 39 tenants involved with mobile, hardware, software, medical device and life science technologies. FFVC is also home to a wide variety of community programs including CED FastTrac, Meet-Up-Groups, gaming and software groups, the Innovalyst Innovation Forum plus several other life science gatherings. For more information please see http://www.ffvcnc.org.