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Will There Ever Be An Accurate Test for Lyme Disease?
A Reference Booklet For Lyme Patients
By, Tom Grier
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Borrelia
burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is a motile
spirochete and can very quickly move from the site of a tick bite
into the victim’s circulatory system. Once the bacteria starts circulating
through the body, it seeks those parts of the body where it can best survive
and thrive.
This unique bacterium has a distinct and insidious method for passing through the capillary walls of blood vessels and nestling its way deep inside many organs and tissues of the human body. In animal models, the Lyme spirochete within hours of a tick bite can cause a breakdown of the blood-brain-barrier.
It is the bacteria’s ability to exit the blood stream, hide, and survive in deep tissues that makes the Lyme bacterium so difficult to detect with any one test. It is the unique microbiology of the bacteria that gives it the ability to hide and survive undetected within the human body. That is why using other bacterial diseases as a model for Lyme disease is difficult and leads to misunderstandings in the medical community on how to diagnose and treat Lyme disease.
There are five main methods of testing for Lyme disease:
1. Antibody tests (either the ELISA or Western Blot serology tests)
2. Bacterial DNA detection by polymerase-chain-reaction test (PCR)
3. Live culture (Rarely done and difficult)
4. Antigen detection: Finding particles and proteins of the bacteria in blood, CSF, urine, and tissue samples.
5. Direct observation by microscope: This can employ the use of biopsy and stain, or centrifuged blood, spinal fluid, and urine. (This is time consuming, difficult and rarely done outside of medical research.)
By far, the most commonly used tests for Lyme disease are antibody serologies. These tests are an indirect measurement of your body’s response to the bacterial pathogen. Antibody serology tests are most often employed not for their accuracy, but more for their convenience, low risks, and low costs. Essentially, these tests look for your antibody response to an infection in the blood stream.
The most common of the antibody tests is the Enzyme Linked Immune Sera Assay test (ELISA). This test is often the first test given to Lyme patients and can only give you a very general idea of the presence or absence of anti-Lyme antibodies. The main drawback is that it is an indirect test meaning that a negative test or an absence of antibodies does not mean an absence of an active infection. Only the absence of an immune response.
The Main Drawbacks of Using Elisa Tests for Lyme Disease:
First, each lab can have their own version of an ELISA test, using different enzyme-linked antigens that are used to trap specific anti-Lyme antibodies in the patient’s blood. When an enzyme is the presence of the correct anti-Lyme antibody, there is an enzymatic color change that occurs which is read by a machine. If the lab chooses antigens that do not reflect the same set of antibodies that the patient is producing then the test will fail to detect Lyme disease. The individual that tests negative with one lab’s test may have a have detectable Lyme antibodies if another lab’s ELISA test is given employing a slightly different set of antigens.
Think of it like this: If you take a gold fish bowl and drop a paperclip and a penny into the bowl and then use a magnet to find the paper clip, you cannot conclude that there is no other metal in the bowl. The magnet is simply incapable of detecting the penny. The same is true if you look for the wrong antibodies in a Lyme patient, the test can detect one antibody but not another.
Another problem is consistent accuracy within labs in interpreting results. This lack of consistency in laboratory accuracy was borne out in Lori Bakken’s ELISA test study. This study showed that more than 50% of the time, labs could not correctly or consistently replicate identical results in identical triple-paired serum samples highly positive for Lyme antibodies. This is despite claims by labs of being 99% specific and accurate. However, what is accurate by laboratory definition has nothing to do with accuracy as a diagnostic test to determine the presence or absence of active infection in a patient.
• Bakken LL, Callister SM, Wand PJ, Schell RF. Interlaboratory Comparison of Test Results for the Detection of Lyme Disease by 516 Participants in the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene/College of American Pathologists Proficiency Testing Program. J Clin Microbiol 1997; Vol 35, No. 3:537-543
• Bakken LL, Case KL, Callister SM et al. Performance of 45 Laboratories Participating in a Proficiency Testing Program for Lyme Disease Serology. JAMA 1992;268:891-895
NEXT - one - two - three - four -
This unique bacterium has a distinct and insidious method for passing through the capillary walls of blood vessels and nestling its way deep inside many organs and tissues of the human body. In animal models, the Lyme spirochete within hours of a tick bite can cause a breakdown of the blood-brain-barrier.
It is the bacteria’s ability to exit the blood stream, hide, and survive in deep tissues that makes the Lyme bacterium so difficult to detect with any one test. It is the unique microbiology of the bacteria that gives it the ability to hide and survive undetected within the human body. That is why using other bacterial diseases as a model for Lyme disease is difficult and leads to misunderstandings in the medical community on how to diagnose and treat Lyme disease.
There are five main methods of testing for Lyme disease:
1. Antibody tests (either the ELISA or Western Blot serology tests)
2. Bacterial DNA detection by polymerase-chain-reaction test (PCR)
3. Live culture (Rarely done and difficult)
4. Antigen detection: Finding particles and proteins of the bacteria in blood, CSF, urine, and tissue samples.
5. Direct observation by microscope: This can employ the use of biopsy and stain, or centrifuged blood, spinal fluid, and urine. (This is time consuming, difficult and rarely done outside of medical research.)
By far, the most commonly used tests for Lyme disease are antibody serologies. These tests are an indirect measurement of your body’s response to the bacterial pathogen. Antibody serology tests are most often employed not for their accuracy, but more for their convenience, low risks, and low costs. Essentially, these tests look for your antibody response to an infection in the blood stream.
The most common of the antibody tests is the Enzyme Linked Immune Sera Assay test (ELISA). This test is often the first test given to Lyme patients and can only give you a very general idea of the presence or absence of anti-Lyme antibodies. The main drawback is that it is an indirect test meaning that a negative test or an absence of antibodies does not mean an absence of an active infection. Only the absence of an immune response.
The Main Drawbacks of Using Elisa Tests for Lyme Disease:
First, each lab can have their own version of an ELISA test, using different enzyme-linked antigens that are used to trap specific anti-Lyme antibodies in the patient’s blood. When an enzyme is the presence of the correct anti-Lyme antibody, there is an enzymatic color change that occurs which is read by a machine. If the lab chooses antigens that do not reflect the same set of antibodies that the patient is producing then the test will fail to detect Lyme disease. The individual that tests negative with one lab’s test may have a have detectable Lyme antibodies if another lab’s ELISA test is given employing a slightly different set of antigens.
Think of it like this: If you take a gold fish bowl and drop a paperclip and a penny into the bowl and then use a magnet to find the paper clip, you cannot conclude that there is no other metal in the bowl. The magnet is simply incapable of detecting the penny. The same is true if you look for the wrong antibodies in a Lyme patient, the test can detect one antibody but not another.
Another problem is consistent accuracy within labs in interpreting results. This lack of consistency in laboratory accuracy was borne out in Lori Bakken’s ELISA test study. This study showed that more than 50% of the time, labs could not correctly or consistently replicate identical results in identical triple-paired serum samples highly positive for Lyme antibodies. This is despite claims by labs of being 99% specific and accurate. However, what is accurate by laboratory definition has nothing to do with accuracy as a diagnostic test to determine the presence or absence of active infection in a patient.
• Bakken LL, Callister SM, Wand PJ, Schell RF. Interlaboratory Comparison of Test Results for the Detection of Lyme Disease by 516 Participants in the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene/College of American Pathologists Proficiency Testing Program. J Clin Microbiol 1997; Vol 35, No. 3:537-543
• Bakken LL, Case KL, Callister SM et al. Performance of 45 Laboratories Participating in a Proficiency Testing Program for Lyme Disease Serology. JAMA 1992;268:891-895
NEXT - one - two - three - four -
Ticks carry more than just
Lyme disease! Including:
0 -Ehrlichia;
o -Bartonella;
0 -Babesia;
o -Q- Fever;
0 -Tularemia;
o -Tick-borne Encephalitis;
0 -Mycoplasma;
o -Relapsing Fever;
0 -Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and others.
Never WAIT and SEE about a tick bite, please! Quickly and properly treated infections are less likely to progress to later stage or chronic disease.
Sometimes tick bites are
mistaken for spider bites!
Some diseases may be spread by animal bites or scratches and from mosquitoes, fleas or lice.
There is still so much to learn about Lyme disease and related infections.
Sometimes Lyme disease and related infectious diseases are undiagnosed for years, even decades!
Watch closely for symptoms after tick bites. Some never see a tick or a bulls-eye rash.
Don't ignore tick-borne disease symptoms!
If you feel sick, ask a doctor!
SYMPTOMS may include:
0 -Tick bites;
o -Fever; Flu symptoms;
0 -All kinds of Rashes;
o -Muscle; Joint; Neck Pain;
0 -Body Aches; Weakness
o -Light /Sound Sensitivity;
0 -Bells Palsy; Nerve pain;
o -Insomnia; Poor memory
0 -Headaches; Numbness;
o -Mood disorders; Confusion;
0 -Extreme Fatigue; Exhaustion
Never let tick-borne diseases progress!
Lyme and associated diseases are often MISTAKEN FOR OTHER ILLNESSES, Including:
0 -Chronic Fatigue;
o -Fibromyalgia;
0 -Hypochondria;
o -Multiple Sclerosis;
0 -Lupus;
o -Rheumatoid Arthritis;
0 -Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS);
o -Alzheimer's and
0 -Parkinson's disease
******************
Don't be fooled about ticks and their diseases.
******************
Directly affecting humankind, worldwide:
W H A T H A P P E N E D
when the U.S. Senate addressed the Centers for Disease Control regarding Lyme disease?
Consult a good doctor!
Visit ILADS, LDF, LymeNet or LDA to find a specialist in your location.
Protect your children and your family.
Learn about ticks and their many diseases.
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TICK
BYTES:
Tick-borne diseases are spreading rapidly
in many countries across the world including,
UK, Scandinavia, Hungary, Scotland, USA,
France, Germany, China, and Australia.
There is NO 100% accurate Lyme disease
TEST available to detect infection or cure.
Ticks can be found in and around
leaf litter; grass; logs; animal fur;
bird feeders; and deer, mice, squirrel,
and other small animal habitats.
Tick-borne diseases are spreading rapidly
in many countries across the world including,
UK, Scandinavia, Hungary, Scotland, USA,
France, Germany, China, and Australia.
There is NO 100% accurate Lyme disease
TEST available to detect infection or cure.
Ticks can be found in and around
leaf litter; grass; logs; animal fur;
bird feeders; and deer, mice, squirrel,
and other small animal habitats.
How
to Properly Remove A Tick
Never let tick-borne
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Tick-borne diseases can
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organ, and any system
of the body.
Lyme disease and Syphilis are both caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.
Tick-borne diseases can KILL!
Ticks travel on mice!
ALWAYS Get Ticks Tested!
Never let tick-borne
infections progress !
Tick-borne diseases can
affect any body part,
organ, and any system
of the body.
Lyme disease and Syphilis are both caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.
Tick-borne diseases can KILL!
Ticks travel on mice!
ALWAYS Get Ticks Tested!
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