I strongly suspect that I have bartonella but have not tested positive for it.
My question is, what lab offers best testing methods for bartonella?
thanks! joshzz
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
You are in luck. Quest, which is often covered by insurance, seems to have the better test for detecting antibodies to Bartonella.
Their test (order the antibody panel) will check for several strains and I've noted, as have some docs- I heard recently, that they are much better at detecting expose than labs using the PCR tests.
Good luck!
Posted by psr1 (Member # 22957) on :
There is also a new lab - Galaxy - in North Carolina that was started by a vet who claims to be able to identify a zillion Bart strains
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
My previous LLMD told me there are over 200 strains of bart and the labs only test for two. That is why diagnosis is based upon symptoms.
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
I'm not sure which is the best lab -- I just used Sunrise, which I think used Mayo -- and they probably aren't the best.
But has anyone used an antibiotic trial (similar to the 4 weeks before WB) to test for Bart?
In my case, I originally tested negative, but after being on Doxy for several months (and a week of Bactrim), I ended up testing positive. Just curious if antibiotics can get Bart antibodies going...
Posted by galehane (Member # 15437) on :
galaxy is the only trustworthy lab in this context. Gale
Posted by littlebit27 (Member # 24477) on :
Igenex isn't good for testing bart?
[ 05-30-2010, 07:40 AM: Message edited by: littlebit27 ]
Posted by lymephobic (Member # 17556) on :
I tested positive through MDL
Posted by lymebytes (Member # 11830) on :
My vote is for Igenex. I was negative at other labs including Labcorp and positive at Igenex.
Be aware though they only test for one strain of Bart, there are many strains of Bart.
A good LLMd should know to treat it with or without a positive test.
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
My first choice would be a bloodslide from Clongen -- at $100 it is pretty cheap. It won't tell you if what they see is bartonella or BLO or mycoplasma -- but all are treated pretty much with the same meds.
Second choice would be Galaxy. But hubby's LLMD charges $633 for this test and right now that is just too expensive for us.
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