Microbiology DX

What Microbiology DX does

Microbiology DX is a CLIA-certified, Massachusetts-licensed clinical microbiology laboratory headquartered in Bedford, MA. The company provides diagnostic testing services focused on the detection and characterization of bacterial and fungal colonization associated with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and biotoxin illness from water-damaged buildings. Its core offering is MARCoNS (Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus) testing of nares cultures performed per Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's protocol, for which it is the only lab recommended. Adjacent services include biofilm analysis on MARCoNS-positive cultures, broader nares bacterial culture with antibiotic susceptibility profiling, and fungal culture (mold and yeast identification), as well as veterinary MARCoNS testing.

The underlying technology is conventional clinical microbiology — culture-based isolation, organism identification, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and biofilm phenotyping — delivered through standardized specimen collection kits and an online results portal for healthcare providers. The company's intellectual property and differentiation rest on protocol certification, the deep domain expertise of its small leadership team (with 40+ years of combined laboratory medicine experience and multiple issued patents held by the founder), and its exclusive referral positioning within the Shoemaker Protocol ecosystem.

Microbiology DX operates a sales-led, direct-to-provider go-to-market, shipping collection kits to clinician offices nationwide and internationally and processing pay-as-you-go tests at $95–$215 per order. It is a privately held, founder-owned entity with no disclosed institutional investors, no parent company, and no external funding events. The business runs on a per-test fee model with healthcare providers (MD, DO, ND, NP, PA, DC) as the primary customer segment and patients with mold-related and biotoxin illness as the end beneficiaries of test ordering.

Name

Microbiology DX

Legal name

MicrobiologyDX

Website

https://microbiologydx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Microbiology DX is a CLIA-certified clinical microbiology lab in Bedford, MA that performs MARCoNS, biofilm, bacterial, and fungal culture testing for healthcare providers treating CIRS and biotoxin illness per the Shoemaker Protocol.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Diagnostic Microbiology Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFAMAD

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Clinical Laboratories

SECONDARYHLAHAAAC

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Medical Devices & Diagnostics/In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) & Laboratory Diagnostics

SECONDARYHLAAALAC

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (culture, rapid antigen, syndromic panels)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Diagnostics (Biotech-related)

Keywords

• Clinical microbiology testing
• MARCoNS diagnostic services
• Nares culture testing
• Biofilm analysis services
• CIRS laboratory testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bedford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Clinical microbiology testing services including Nares Bacterial Culture (MARCoNS), Biofilm Analysis, and Fungal Culture. One-time fee per test. Testing is performed on clinical specimens submitted by healthcare providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Microbiology DX is a CLIA certified and Massachusetts licensed clinical microbiology laboratory that performs specialized diagnostic testing on nares and other culture specimens, including MARCoNS (Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococci) testing per Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's protocol for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). The lab provides organism identification, antibiotic susceptibility profiles, fungal (mold and yeast) identification, and biofilm analysis to assist clinicians with treatment regimens for patients exposed to water-damaged buildings.

Product overview

Microbiology DX is a CLIA-certified clinical microbiology laboratory offering a suite of diagnostic testing services centered on MARCoNS testing per the Shoemaker Protocol for CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome). The core offerings include Nares Bacterial Culture (which includes MARCoNS testing), Nares Fungal Culture (mold and yeast identification), and General Diagnostic Microbiology with susceptibility testing. Biofilm Analysis is available as an add-on test for MARCoNS positive cultures to help clinicians optimize treatment by determining antibiotic resistance levels. The company also provides collection kits and an online results portal for healthcare providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MARCoNS Testing

Quantifiable outcome

• MARCoNS found in 80% of people with low MSH suffering from Biotoxin Illness and CIRS
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Reference Diagnostics, Inc. (RDI)minorOthersDr. Joseph Musto was a cofounder of Reference Diagnostics, Inc. (RDI) with Dr. Joseph Lawlor. RDI developed and marketed clinical assays for LDL-Cholesterol, Magnetic HDL-Cholesterol, Total Iron Binding Capacity and C-Reactive Protein.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Galaxy Diagnostics: Specialty reference lab in infectious disease diagnostics (e.g., Bartonella, tick-borne). Comparable as a CLIA-certified clinical lab focused on a niche infectious-disease testing menu sold through clinician channels.
• Viracor Eurofins: Specialty clinical lab under Eurofins focused on infectious disease, immunology, and transplant testing. Comparable as a specialty CLIA-certified reference lab offering niche testing through clinician channels.

Direct peers

• Mycometrics LLC: Laboratory offering mold and biotoxin-related diagnostic services including CIRS-aligned testing. Comparable for serving the same chronic inflammatory / water-damaged-building patient cohort.
• RealTime Laboratories: Specialty clinical lab focused on environmental mold, biotoxin, and CIRS-relevant testing. Directly comparable to Microbiology DX as a niche reference lab serving the same Shoemaker-Protocol clinician base.

Broad incumbents

• Quest Diagnostics: Large commercial clinical laboratory with national infrastructure and CLIA-certified microbiology capabilities. Comparable as a clinical reference lab capable of receiving specimens nationwide; potential competitor if it enters CIRS-relevant testing.
• Mayo Clinic Laboratories: Major clinical reference laboratory offering a comprehensive menu including specialty infectious-disease and molecular testing. Comparable as a CLIA-accredited reference lab reaching clinicians nationwide and internationally.
• ARUP Laboratories: Large academic and clinical reference laboratory offering broad microbiology, molecular, and infectious-disease testing. Comparable as a clinical reference lab serving hospitals and clinicians, though it operates on a much wider catalog.
• Labcorp: National clinical laboratory network with broad microbiology and infectious-disease offerings. Comparable as a high-volume CLIA reference lab serving physician offices, representing potential competitive pressure in clinical microbiology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Microbiology DX