Bartonella Testing: Detection for Elusive Infections
Comprehensive Tools for Complex, Persistent Cases
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.
The Diagnostic Challenge of Bartonella
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 Direct Detection: Digital PCR
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.
Order BBB Direct and IgG Detect
What Makes It Different
- Confirms up to 6x more positive cases than standard qPCR ( Maggi et al., Parasites & Vectors, 2024)
- Detects infection in high-risk, persistently symptomatic, or immunocompromised patients
- Provides Bartonella pre- and post-culture enrichment results for added clinical confidence
- Ideal for patients with negative or inconclusive Lyme or co-infection results
- Includes multiplex detection of Bartonella, Babesia, and Borrelia in a single test
Galaxy’s 4-Species Bartonella IgG IFA Serology Panel
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.
Learn More About Bartonella IFA Serology
What Sets It Apart
- Developed in partnership with NC State University
- Produced in-house using clinical isolates
- Enables species identification, confirms bacterial exposure, and supports treatment planning
- Galaxy is the only U.S. lab to include B. koehlerae, a recently recognized cat-associated species
Why a Combined Testing Approach Matters
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.
Layered Diagnostic Insight
- Digital PCR, Detects Bartonella, Babesia, and Borrelia DNA with exceptional sensitivity, confirming presence of pathogen.
- Proprietary BAPGM Culture Enriches Bartonella growth prior to molecular testing, improving detection probability.
- IFA Serology Provides exposure history, species context, and antibody titers.
The Result: Clarity in Complex Cases
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.
Trusted by Healthcare Providers Nationwide
“Galaxy’s direct detection gives my team the clarity we need. Their science, education, and partnership have changed how we approach complex tick-borne cases. When I need objective data, not just a panel that lights up, Galaxy is the gold standard.”
— Dr. Chris Turnpaugh, Turnpaugh Health & Wellness
“Galaxy is leading the field in stealth pathogen diagnostics, not just with innovation, but with transparency and trust.”
—Dr. Shannon Smith, Turnpaugh Health & Wellness
“Galaxy Diagnostics is the single best test you can order to manage stealth infections. It’s a reliable, leading-edge tool that stretches a provider’s ability to diagnose accurately where others fall short.”
— Dr. Jay Stevens, Essential Health
“Galaxy has been the most consistently helpful tool in confirming Bartonella exposure and guiding effective treatment — often when other labs miss it.”
— Dr. Maria Marian, Jyzen
“What sets Galaxy apart is their science and their partnership, they don’t just deliver results, they help me contextualize them so I can treat patients with clarity and confidence.”
— Dr. Tonya Cramer, Essential Health
“What gives me confidence in this testing is the strength of the underlying science—the reproducibility, the specificity, and the rigor of the methodology. That combination makes it a more reliable and clinically actionable tool.”
— Dr. Casey Kelley, MD, ABoIM, Founder, Case Integrative Health