Three Main Categories of Lyme Disease Tests:
1. Indirect Tests (serum antibody tests):
ELISA; Western Blot; IFA; Borreliacidal Antibody Assay (Gunderson test); T-cell Activation Test
2. Direct detection tests:
PCR (DNA amplification); Lyme Urine Antigen Test (LUAT); Antigen Capture Test; culturing of skin, blood, CSF, urine, or tissue; immune complex / antigen-antibody test
3. Tissue Biopsy and Staining:
Silver Stain; Gold Stain; Fluorescent Tagged Monoclonal Antibody Stains; Acrodine Orange; Gram Stain; Muramidase; etc.
Testing Controversies:
There is a great deal of confusion and controversy surrounding Lyme disease testing. The first problem is that most of the manufacturers of these tests want you to believe that their tests are the best. The second problem is the way the tests are primed to recognize laboratory strains of Bb, rather than wild types. Third, the Lyme spirochete can hide in the human body and fool the immune system into thinking it isn’t there, resulting in negative tests.
Research Documents:
Will There Ever Be An Accurate Test for Lyme Disease?
A Reference Booklet For Lyme Patients
By Tom Grier
Laboratories:
IGeneX
