We still do not have 100% reliable testing for Lyme Disease. Most of the tests are prone to false negatives and/or positives, so it is important to have more than one test run to protect against test error. It may also be helpful to have the tests run more than once, which can get expensive. One of the reasons the standard Lyme Disease tests are so inaccurate is that they do not measure the accurate levels of Lyme bacteria, but instead look for antibodies against the bacteria. Antibody levels can vary greatly based on a persons immune system and other factors, making those tests very unreliable. Here are my favorite tests for Lyme Disease. Please note this list is not necessarily all-inclusive, but does include the tests my research have shown to be the most accurate - CD-57 (Initial screen): Usually paid for by insurance & relatively inexpensive. A low reading (below 200) is a good indicator of a Lyme infection - Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): Measures presence of Borrelia genetic material. Is more expensive and has a higher risk of false positives if test is not performed correctly/ - Western Blot – IgG and IgM: Tests for and measures antibodies against the most common Lyme bacteria, Borrelia. - Immunofluorescent Assay (IFA): Another antibody test which also looks for Borrelia DNA. Some experts believe the interpretation of this test is far too subjective to make it worthwhile. - Joseph Burrascano Culture Test: Perhaps the most accurate test, but only a few labs offer it and it can take up to 8 weeks to receive results. (I recommend beginning treatment while waiting for results.) Insurance will not pay for it - IGeneX Profile: Currently the preferred test profile used by MDs who are Lyme-literate. Combines five different tests and is considered very accurate. Insurance sometimes pays for it.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:27:15 +0000
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