Bartonella is a stealth pathogen that replicates slowly, cycles through the bloodstream every few days, and hides deep in tissues, making it one of the most difficult to detect pathogens. Its ability to evade the immune response and mimic neurological, vascular, and psychiatric conditions often leads to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis altogether.
Galaxy Diagnostics combines advanced molecular and serological tools to detect Bartonella where traditional tests fall short, bringing clarity to complex, chronic cases.
Bartonella infections can affect multiple body systems and present with a wide range of symptoms. Because the organism circulates intermittently and replicates only once approximately every 24 hours, timing of collection is critical.
Traditional PCR and serology weren’t built for pathogens like Bartonella, which cycle through the bloodstream and retreat into tissues between episodes. This intermittent behavior makes it easy to miss, even in symptomatic patients.
Bartonella’s low abundance and cyclical pattern make single tests unreliable. Serial and combined testing improves the odds of detection.
Galaxy’s Digital PCR is a genus-level, multiplexed assay that detects Bartonella, Babesia, and Borrelia DNA directly from blood with exceptional precision.
Galaxy’s proprietary method leverages digital PCR with targeted culture enrichment for Bartonella using BAPGM media, boosting detection sensitivity through thousands of micro reactions.
This process dramatically improves the sensitivity of detection, allowing identification of pathogens even at extremely low DNA copy numbers that traditional PCR misses.
Unlike standard qPCR, which analyzes one sample at a time, digital PCR partitions the sample into thousands of micro-reactions, enabling deeper detection of pathogens that circulate intermittently or fall below the limits of conventional assays.
Galaxy’s Bartonella IgG IFA Serology Panel offers the most comprehensive serological insight available, targeting the four species most frequently associated with human disease:
B. henselae, B. vinsonii berkhoffii, B. quintana, and B. koehlerae.
Developed in partnership with North Carolina State University, this panel is built from bacterial isolates, not commercial substrates, ensuring accuracy and specificity.
Galaxy’s integrated testing strategy combines Digital PCR, BAPGM Culture, and IFA Serology to provide both direct and indirect evidence, delivering layered insight that strengthens clinical confidence.
Galaxy Diagnostics delivers the most advanced Bartonella testing available, integrating molecular innovation, culture enrichment, and serological validation.
For providers navigating diagnostic uncertainty, this approach provides the confidence to treat with clarity, backed by data that matters.
