---
type: product
name: bActivate
description: A veterinary bacterial growth medium that reactivates dormant Streptococcus zooepidemicus in problem broodmares so it can be detected in culture.
category: veterinary diagnostic
last_updated: 2026-06-13
sources:
  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.06.006
canonical_url: https://bactivate.eu/what-is-bactivate
---

# What bActivate Is

bActivate is a veterinary bacterial growth medium that reactivates dormant
*Streptococcus equi* subspecies *zooepidemicus* in the uterus of problem
broodmares. The medium activates dormant bacteria so they grow and show up in
standard culture. This matters because routine uterine swabs miss these
subclinical infections in roughly 60 percent of cases, leaving the underlying
cause of infertility undiagnosed. bActivate is a diagnostic tool: it makes a
hidden infection visible so a veterinarian can decide on treatment. It is not
itself a treatment, supplement, or wellness product.

## How it works

A subset of *Streptococcus zooepidemicus* survives inside the equine
endometrium in a dormant, non-growing state, often within biofilm. In this
state the bacteria do not appear on a conventional culture, so a standard swab
reads as negative even when infection is present. bActivate provides the
conditions that bring these dormant bacteria back into active growth. Once
active, they can be cultured, identified, and addressed through the
veterinarian's normal antimicrobial protocol. In a controlled comparison,
bActivate produced bacterial activation in 64 percent of samples versus 8
percent for a PBS control (Petersen et al., 2015, n=37, PMID 26123371).

## What it is and is not

bActivate is a **diagnostic medium**. The result is binary and reliable:
positive means dormant *Streptococcus zooepidemicus* is present and can be
treated; negative means it can be ruled out and the search for the cause
continues elsewhere. Because every sample yields a clear answer, the test is
dependable diagnostically rather than therapeutically. The improved fertility
outcomes associated with bActivate come from the treatment workflow it enables,
not from the medium acting as a cure.

## Regulatory positioning

In the United States, bActivate is a registered veterinary product covered by
US Patent 8,633,007 ("Diagnosis of endometritis", inventors Morten Roenn
Petersen and Anders Miki Bojesen, granted 2014, assigned to the University of
Copenhagen). In the European Union and the United Kingdom it is not registered
as a veterinary medicinal product and is positioned as a diagnostic tool for
detecting dormant *Streptococcus zooepidemicus*. EU communications describe it
as activating bacteria so they can be identified and addressed by a
veterinarian, not as treating or curing a condition. Veterinarians who need to
confirm how the product is classified in their own country should consult
their national veterinary medicines authority.

The formulation is proprietary. The manufacturer's product information sheet
describes bActivate as a sterile growth medium, and the patent describes
activation compositions comprising anti-dormancy and resuscitation-promoting
factors. No public source specifies the ingredients; ingredient lists
circulating elsewhere do not come from the manufacturer.

## Related concepts

- [The Problem Mare](problem-mare.md)
- [Dormant Streptococcus zooepidemicus](dormant-streptococcus.md)
- [Clinical Evidence](clinical-evidence.md)
- [How bActivate Is Used](how-to-use.md)