![]() Once you have a Lyme disease infection, antibodies to the bacteria will usually stay in your body for the rest of your life. If antibodies are found, you may either have Lyme disease now or had the illness in the past.Occasionally, some people who were not treated correctly with antibiotics in the early stage of infection may not have antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in later stages of the illness.Īn abnormal, or positive, test for Lyme disease can mean one of the following:.Blood levels of antibodies against Lyme disease bacteria are too low for the test to detect.This is most likely to occur during the first several weeks of infection. The infection may be present, but it is too early to find antibodies. You have not yet made antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria.Reasons for a false-negative result include the following: This is more likely with the antibody tests than with PCR. You have Lyme disease but it does not show up on the test ( false-negative).A negative PCR test usually means that you do not have a Lyme disease infection. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects Lyme disease bacteria DNA.Ī normal, or negative, test for Lyme disease can mean one of the following: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test does not find any Lyme disease bacteria DNA.Īntibodies to Lyme disease bacteria are found. No antibodies to Lyme disease bacteria are found. Test results are usually available in 1 to 2 weeks. Also, standards have not yet been developed for PCR testing and there is a risk of false-positive test results. PCR testing is not done as often as antibody testing because it requires technical skill and expensive equipment. ![]() PCR testing may be used to identify a current (active) infection if you have symptoms of Lyme disease that have not gotten better with antibiotic treatment. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing detects the genetic material ( DNA) of the Lyme disease bacteria. The Western blot test (which is a more specific test than the ELISA) should be done in all people who have tested positive or borderline positive (equivocal) in an ELISA test. It is most often done to detect a chronic Lyme disease infection.Īntibody testing should be done in a two-step process, using the ELISA followed by the Western blot test. This test also identifies Lyme disease antibodies and can confirm the results of an ELISA test. This common and rapid test to identify Lyme disease antibodies is the most sensitive screening test for Lyme disease. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).There are two types of antibody tests to detect Lyme disease. Finding antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria does not tell whether you were infected recently or sometime in the past. Once formed, antibodies usually stay in your system for many years, even after successful treatment of the disease. It may take up to 2 months after becoming infected before antibodies can be detected in a blood test. Antibody testing may also be done on fluid from the spine or from a joint. Antibody testsĪntibody tests are the most commonly used tests to help identify Lyme disease. ![]() Other tests may be done in certain situations. Antibody tests can sometimes be used to help identify Lyme disease. If you and your doctor think you have Lyme disease, your doctor will do a careful medical history and physical examination. Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of many other illnesses. Lyme disease bacteria are spread by certain kinds of ticks. A Lyme disease test detects antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi in the blood. ![]()
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