Synbiotics Animal Health Launches New Product.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--July 13, 2000

Synbiotics Corp. (Nasdaq:SBIO) announced today that its Synbiotics Animal Health unit's European operation has launched Witness(R) Ehrlichia, a rapid veterinarian's office test for the diagnosis of ehrlichia canis infection in dogs.

Witness(R) Ehrlichia is the seventh product in Synbiotics Animal Health's international line of Witness point of care diagnostic products.

Witness(R) Ehrlichia is a new rapid test based on the detection of antibodies in blood, serum or plasma to a purified ehrlichia antigen. Independent studies have shown Synbiotics Animal Health's test to be highly sensitive and specific as compared to currently available commercial tests. Synbiotics Animal Health is also working on a faster laboratory-based test that will allow the analysis of a large number of samples.

According to Paul Rosinack, Synbiotics Animal Health President, "Witness(R) Ehrlichia continues our strong recent record of new product launches and represents an important expansion of our capabilities: following Witness(R) Leishmania, launched in Europe in April 1999, it is the second Witness product to be entirely developed and manufactured within Synbiotics Animal Health. As we continue to develop products that we manufacture in-house, we expect to increase the efficiency and profitability of our business."

Canine ehrlichiosis, a tick-born disease, has a worldwide distribution and is caused by an intracellular rickettsia, ehrlichia canis, transmitted by the common brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sangineus. Symptoms may include fever, anorexia, weight loss, depression and severe hematological changes like thrombocytopenia, anemia and leukopenia. E.canis infected dogs can be cleared by a treatment with antibiotics.

Diagnosis has traditionally been based on clinical signs and culture of the parasite from biopsies. Laboratory methods for diagnosing are usually time-consuming and difficult to reproduce. Previous ehrlichia canis diagnostics suffer a lack of sensitivity or readability.

The disease has been reported in almost all the United States with a probable seroprevalence of 2 to 5%, but as high as 12 or 20% in some southern areas. Synbiotics Animal Health soon expects to apply for USDA licensure to sell the product in the USA.

Synbiotics Corp. owns and operates Synbiotics Animal Health and W3COMMERCE. Synbiotics Animal Health is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of veterinary diagnostics, instrumentation and related products. Synbiotics Animal Health continues to generate most of Synbiotics Corp.'s revenues. W3COMMERCE is an e-commerce and Internet solutions company that applies its proprietary systems and "Meta-Domain" model to drive targeted Internet traffic to sponsor and client sites at low cost. Through linking e-commerce sites, developed and managed for clients, with targeted, advertising-free specialty content sites, W3COMMERCE dramatically lowers the user acquisition cost while enhancing sponsor, client and its own revenues. W3COMMERCE now controls five Meta-Domains, which when fully developed will include over 1,000 "dotcoms" in the Leisure & Hospitality, Pet/Vet, Sports, Health & Wellness and Early Stage Business Services sectors.

With the exception of historical matters, the issues discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that are subject to the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, including the effects of uncertainty on our business while we explore strategic alternatives for enhancing shareholder value, the possibility that Synbiotics Animal Health could not be sold at a favorable price and terms, competition from larger companies, the need to demonstrate large-scale customer acceptance of W3COMMERCE's business model, the ability of other companies to replicate W3COMMERCE's business model, reliance on third-party manufacturers and distributors, possible technology improvements by others, the ability to assimilate acquired businesses, the seasonality of major portions of the Synbiotics Animal Health's business and other risks set forth in Synbiotics Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly Form 10-KSB filed for the year ended Dec. 31, 1999, and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2000. These forward-looking statements represent Synbiotics Corp.'s judgment as of the date of the release. Synbiotics Corp. disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

www.synbiotics.com -- www.w3commerce.com