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How accurate is the ELISA test for Lyme disease?
Ideally, the CDC recommends standard two-tier testing to confirm the veracity of the Lyme disease test accuracy. Together, the ELISA and western blot tests are 99.9\% accurate.
Why is lab testing for Lyme disease not definitive?
The test used most often to detect Lyme disease, ELISA detects antibodies to B. burgdorferi. But because it can sometimes provide false-positive results, it’s not used as the sole basis for diagnosis.
How accurate is Lyme antibody test?
A tricky diagnosis In the first three weeks after infection, the test only detects Lyme 29 to 40 percent of the time. (The test is 87 percent accurate once Lyme spreads to the neurological system, and 97 percent accurate for patients who develop Lyme arthritis).
What does a positive Lyme IgM mean?
The positive IgM or IgG Western blot indicates that your immune system is generating antibodies against some of the surface proteins that are carried by the organism that causes Lyme disease. Your immune system however may continue to generate these antibodies long after the infection has left your body.
What does a positive ELISA Lyme test mean?
A positive result means that Borrelia antibodies were found and that you may have had or have Lyme disease. False-positive results sometimes do occur. This means the test could say you have the infection when you don’t.
What is a Lyme serology test?
Lyme disease serology; ELISA for Lyme disease; Western blot for Lyme disease. The Lyme disease blood test looks for antibodies in the blood to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The test is used to help diagnose Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi.
What does a positive Borrelia burgdorferi test mean?
What is the Elisa test for Lyme disease?
ELISA – This is the screening test used when Lyme disease is first suspected. It measures the levels of antibodies against Lyme bacteria. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, if the test proves negative for the antibodies, no further test is recommended.