diff --git a/src/utils/FileRecordTools/FileReaders/InputStreamMgr.cpp b/src/utils/FileRecordTools/FileReaders/InputStreamMgr.cpp
index 1f9d044108c5349ee6c5dc8e91143290460ab3e2..5b1d0a9c10831dcfc123efe560ec86acf4fbac3b 100644
--- a/src/utils/FileRecordTools/FileReaders/InputStreamMgr.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/FileRecordTools/FileReaders/InputStreamMgr.cpp
@@ -204,10 +204,7 @@ bool InputStreamMgr::detectBamOrBgzip(int &numChars, int currChar)
 
 
 			_bamReader = new BamTools::BamReader();
-			_bamReader->OpenStream(_finalInputStream);
-			QuickString bamHeader(_bamReader->GetHeaderText());
-
-			if (bamHeader.empty()) {
+			if (!_bamReader->OpenStream(_finalInputStream)) {
 				//This is NOT a bam file, but it is bgzipped.
 				_pushBackStreamBuf->clear();
 				//Put all bytes read so far back onto the scan buffer, then reset
diff --git a/test/intersect/gdc.bam b/test/intersect/gdc.bam
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..80dcfaa0b3080652c64d10497e4ecfb4e223a389
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/intersect/gdc.bam differ
diff --git a/test/intersect/gdc_exp b/test/intersect/gdc_exp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..442b7f2864a8465c0cf1dbd8ca6100bb83fcad36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/intersect/gdc_exp
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+chr2L	10	15	None	255	+	10	15	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	70	75	None	255	-	70	75	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	70	75	None	255	-	70	75	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	140	145	None	255	-	140	145	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	140	145	None	255	-	140	145	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	150	155	None	255	-	150	155	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	210	215	None	255	+	210	215	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	70	75	None	255	+	70	75	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	70	75	None	255	+	70	75	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	140	145	None	255	+	140	145	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	140	145	None	255	+	140	145	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
+chr2L	160	165	None	255	+	160	165	0,0,0	1	5,	0,
diff --git a/test/intersect/new_test-intersect.sh b/test/intersect/new_test-intersect.sh
index 056278b41033e6f94c9373e7b4a1e2136019e2e6..85c6a8bbbf77c8f3f2ff7600bf8f6c4cc01efb4b 100755
--- a/test/intersect/new_test-intersect.sh
+++ b/test/intersect/new_test-intersect.sh
@@ -605,6 +605,15 @@ check obs exp
 rm obs exp
 
 
+###########################################################
+#  Test that we can process a Bam file with no text in 
+#  it's header. 
+############################################################
+echo "    intersect.new.t53...\c"
+$BT intersect -a gdc.bam -b gdc.bam -bed > obs
+check obs gdc_exp
+rm obs
+