posted
I've wondered if Igenex is even better than most commercial labs regarding Bartonella testing. I mean, can they test for species besides henselae + quintana?
Maybe their PCR testing is better, but isn't that still finding a needle in a haystack?
For Lyme testing, I can see how Igenex is more accurate, as they use two species, test for more bands, use different criteria, etc. But for Bartonella, besides checking for antibodies, what else do they do differently?
I used Sunrise Labs and got a positive, but that may have been from taking Doxy/Bactrim beforehand, spurring on a Bart reaction.
Posts: 584 | From NY | Registered: Feb 2009
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Hambone
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 29535
posted
What about Spirostat?
Posts: 1142 | From South | Registered: Dec 2010
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posted
Fry Labs only tests for two hens and quintana as well?
Arghh this is so frustrating, impossible to find an LLMD who knows how to treat this, nevermind a mainstream ID.
Posts: 501 | From Cleveland Ohio | Registered: Apr 2009
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2roads
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4409
posted
Howsabout Specialty Labs, IgG/IgM antibody testing.
Posts: 2214 | From West Chester, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
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t9im
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25489
posted
Our LLMD uses Specialty for Bart and IGeneX for Lyme and Babs.
-------------------- Tim Posts: 1111 | From Glastonbury, CT | Registered: Apr 2010
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posted
Spirostat does multiple species as well as so many other pathogens included in test.
Posts: 871 | From orange county, ca. | Registered: Jan 2006
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richedie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14689
posted
I say none. They are innacurate and also can only test for 3 strains out of over 30!
-------------------- Mepron/Zith/Ceftin Doxy/Biaxin/Flagyl pulse. Artemisinin with Doxy/Biaxin. Period of Levaquin and Ceftin. Then Levaquin, Bactrim and Biaxin. Bactrim/Augmentin/Rifampin. Mepron/Biaxin/Artemisinin/Cat's Claw Rifampin/Bactrim/Alinia Plaquenil/Biaxin Posts: 1949 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Feb 2008
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posted
You could try the new species bartonella test from Clongen. If you pay an extra $125 they will do an enrichment culture for 10 days similar to what Galaxy lab had been doing.
This is a species PCR test.
Hubby has the kit to do the babesia test with the enrichment culture.
The lab will have to mail you the test kit -- they send a test tube with the culture medium in it.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
What about the new FISH test that IGeneX has for bartonella?
quote:"They now offer a Bartonella FISH (Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization) test which may prove useful for those people infected with Bartonella but not showing any immune-response to it as the result of a depressed immune system. A FISH test is an antigen based test, not an antibody test. IGeneX has had the Babesia FISH test available for some time and now offers a similar test for Bartonella. The new test looks for four types of Bartonella including B. vinsonii, B. berkhoffi, B. henselae, and B. quintana."
little olive
-------------------- Myalgic encephalomyelitis, 2002 | Viral onset, following Hep B vaccine Lyme since '06 | Bartonella since '08 (cured) | Mycoplasma pneumoniae since '08 IGeneX: IgM 31IND 34IND 41+ | IgG 39IND 58+ 41+++ IgG deficiencies and MTHFR 677TT mutations Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
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posted
What about Clongen Labs in Maryland? I heard from my LLMD's aid that it was the best for Bartonella, although my LLMD was going to send blood to Fry for a PCR for Bart.
Posts: 348 | From MA | Registered: Dec 2010
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My daughter just had the Igenex Fish test for Bartonella and it came back negative. She has all the symptoms and originally tested positive at three different labs approximately three years ago. Does this mean the Bart is gone?
Posts: 107 | From New Jersey | Registered: Nov 2009
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posted
Well, I was just suggesting it! I have had the FISH test myself and it came back negative, despite me VERY VERY obviously having bartonella. Perhaps if I had gotten it at the beginning of infection it wuold have showed something?
Her bartonella is not gone until the SYMPTOMS are gone. It does not matter if the tests don't find it, especially when the infection goes chronic. They are just there to hopefully confirm that you have it, if you can manage to get a positive, but unfortunately a negative result means nothing.
I tested negative through ALL labs, at least ten times, across a three year time span, but still had it. I finally tested positive with the Bartonella IFA (igm and igg levels) from IGeneX, and I think that was a miracle!
You treat bart at LEAST one year, and if you need longer, wait until two months of no symptoms, or it WILL come back. The coinfections such as babesia and bartonella are very prone to quick relapse if you don't eradicate them.
Good luck!
-------------------- Myalgic encephalomyelitis, 2002 | Viral onset, following Hep B vaccine Lyme since '06 | Bartonella since '08 (cured) | Mycoplasma pneumoniae since '08 IGeneX: IgM 31IND 34IND 41+ | IgG 39IND 58+ 41+++ IgG deficiencies and MTHFR 677TT mutations Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
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posted
This whole disease is so frustrating. She tested positive for rocky mountain spotted fever, bartonella and lyme. None of her symptoms have gone away...most of them are worse. Thanks for explaining.
Posts: 107 | From New Jersey | Registered: Nov 2009
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posted
Try Rifampin and Doxycycline together. It's a potent combination that will attack everything she's tested positive for, and even more that she hasn't tested positive for, but may still have (such as Ehrlichiois or Mycoplasma).
Whatever approach, if you're doing things right and it's still not working, try something else!
little olive
Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
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Most of what we know about treatment is based off of b. quintana and b. henselae, while treatment for strains like b. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii is more complicated.
There are several antibiotics we know work--Rifampin, Cipro, Levaquin, Bactrim, in combination with macrolides and tetracyclines--but there's always the chance someone will have a complicated strain, or worse, unintentionally make their easier-to-treat strain resistant to the antibiotics due to poor management of treatment (i.e., skipping doses or changing abx strengths).
-------------------- Myalgic encephalomyelitis, 2002 | Viral onset, following Hep B vaccine Lyme since '06 | Bartonella since '08 (cured) | Mycoplasma pneumoniae since '08 IGeneX: IgM 31IND 34IND 41+ | IgG 39IND 58+ 41+++ IgG deficiencies and MTHFR 677TT mutations Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
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Haemobartonella/haemoplasma are actually more closely related to Mycoplasma than bartonella. I don't think they have anything more to do with one another.
That said, the treatment you're on is GREAT for mycoplasma-related bugs, also! I have Mycoplasma pneumoniae in addition to bartonella--I actually got them at the same time (freak chain of events) and the symptoms are really hard to tell apart.
However, improvement might take longer because the mycoplasma species typically replicate over the course of weeks, not every 5-7 days like real bartonella does. The antibiotics can only eradicate the infections whenever they replicate. This is why treatment for Lyme is so slow--because it only replicates about every four weeks!
I didn't see any improvement in my symptoms until about two-three months into it, and everything before that point was pretty horrible. The longer you've been sick the longer it will take to feel better. Give it three months and see if there's anything you can do then, that you couldn't do before treatment.
Hope this helps
little olive
-------------------- Myalgic encephalomyelitis, 2002 | Viral onset, following Hep B vaccine Lyme since '06 | Bartonella since '08 (cured) | Mycoplasma pneumoniae since '08 IGeneX: IgM 31IND 34IND 41+ | IgG 39IND 58+ 41+++ IgG deficiencies and MTHFR 677TT mutations Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
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posted
Thanks for the information little_olive. I will give it time and hope for better times ahead.
One major irratation right now is in the balls and arch of my feet. A constant pressure type numb/burning feeling. Sometimes also get a cool flowing type feeling also. After I walk for awhile feeling goes from like a rock in my shoe to a mushy type feeling.
I have bought padded sole supports. Any other suggestions that might help alleviate this issue? My feet also cramp very easily. Sound like this stuff has gotten into my nerves. Anything that will give relief to inflamed nerves? Thanks for your help!
CSS
Posts: 22 | From California | Registered: Oct 2011
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posted
I had a ton of neuropathy in my feet before treatment, and it got worse before getting better--there were days I couldn't even feel my toes.
Very important is to take magnesium and calcium supplementation--100% of each, when you read on the back of the bottles--every day to prevent cramping and generally help neuromuscular function. Some people say don't take them in the same pill, but this is how I take mine and my bloodwork says it works just fine. Most of us are on the lower end of the magnesium spectrum, and you need extra when trying to heal nerves.
I've no idea about the other stuff. You can go to the Medical Questions section of the forum and click the "post new topic" button--I'm sure someone here has had similar experiences.
little olive
Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
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