Say Goodbye to PCR Panels. MiDOG Expanded Testing Now Includes Parasites.

With the official launch of the MiDOG All-in-One test, we are expanding our testing capabilities beyond amplicon-based 16S/ITS analysis. This new approach allows for the detection of:

• Additional pathogens not previously covered (Protozoan, Nematode, and Flatworm parasites)
• Bacterial biofilm-related genes, which may affect infection persistence and treatment response
• Bacterial virulence and toxin genes that can impact clinical outcomes

1. The new MiDOG All-in-One test will detect all Eukaryotic parasite species down to the species level and all bacterial and fungal pathogens in our previous service. The new pathogens will include:
   1. All Protozoan parasite species (including but not limited to: Entamoeba, Giarda, Cystoisospora, Eimeria, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, and Tritrichomonas)
   2. All Hookworm, roundworm, whipworm, and tapeworm species (including but not limited to: Dirofilaria, Toxocara, Baylisascaris, Trichuris, Diplidium, Echinococcus, Echinostoma, Taenia, Fasciola, Leishmania, Opisthorchis, Rallietina, Syphaci, Trichinella

All Oomycete parasite species (including but not limited to: Pythium, Saprolegnia, Aphanomyces, Halioticida)

A biofilm is a community of bacteria that attach to surfaces and produce a protective matrix. In clinical contexts, biofilms can make infections more difficult to treat because they:

• Contribute to antibiotic resistance by creating microenvironments where bacteria can survive higher drug concentrations
• Facilitate chronic or persistent infections
• Increase the risk of device-related infections (catheter and surgical implants)
• Promote recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) by allowing bacteria to persist on the bladder surfaces
• Impair wound healing by creating a persistent source of infection
• Contribute to chronic or non-healing wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers or pressure sores

The MiDOG All-in-One test can detect bacterial genes associated with biofilm formation for each individual case, providing clinicians with actionable insights that were previously not accessible.

Toxins and virulence genes are the weapons of bacterial pathogens, allowing them to initiate disease and cause clinical signs associated with illness. Toxin/virulence genes can help guide clinical decisions by helping to signal the bacterial pathogens of concern in each case. The MiDOG All-in-One will detect over 120 families of bacterial toxin genes including:

• Enterotoxins and Shiga toxins (Shigella and pathogenic coli strains)
• Anthrax toxin (Bacillus anthracis)
• Tetanus toxin (Clostridium tetani)
• Diphtheria toxin (Corynebacterium)
• Botulinum toxins (Clostridium botulinum)
• Pertussis toxins (Bordetella pertussis)
• Typhoid toxins (Salmonella)
• Hemolysins – toxins possessed by several pathogen species that allow them to cleave red blood cells and other host cells (Rickettsia, Streptomyces, Actinobacillus, Aeromonas, UTI, and septic E. coli pathogen strains)

• Enterotoxins
  • Food poisoning and other GI tract issues
• Exotoxins
  • Toxins that the bacteria excrete to poison the host and surrounding environment
• Hemolysins/Lysins
  • Toxins that bacteria produce to cut open red blood cells and other cells to feed off the host.
• Endotoxins
  • Toxins that bacteria produce internally that are stored in the bacterial cells and released when they die.
  • Can cause toxic shock syndrome if too many endotoxin-producing bacteria are killed at once.