Today, I got a negative for Babesia Duncani through Igenex.
But, I have a positive for Babesia WA-1 through LapCorp.
Aren't they the same thing!?!?
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
Yes
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
Yes, endless people get this positive through LabCorp. I'm highly, highly suspicious of the validity of the test now. I too have a positive test.
What's your symptoms though? Babesia-like?
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
How would you test positive anywhere if there was not something there for the test to read?
Posted by Wolfed Out (Member # 23727) on :
I read somewhere that we can have antibodies to Babesia in the blood, but that doesn't mean we're fighting an active infection. If this is true with the LabCorp test, I do not know.
seekhelp,
I gotta tell you. I just don't know anymore. I did not have night sweats before starting any medications, I'm starting to figure out my chest pain is more related to esophagus-heartburn crap, I only get the woozy/drunk feeling when I'm taking a Macrolide.
I may be backwards rationalizing, but the only definitive thing I have is a Fry Lab smear showing haemobartonella, some other unknown protozoa just chilling in my RBC, and a positive for WA-1 through Labcorp..
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
Yes, what kind of tests were these? That would be useful to know.
Posted by Wolfed Out (Member # 23727) on :
Which tests, lou? I named the test and the company that did all of them.
Posted by BoxerMom (Member # 25251) on :
For what it's worth, Igenex did not find my Babesia. But Fry Labs found it.
I have B.microti. I've never tested for Babesia through LapCorp.
Posted by marypart (Member # 27012) on :
My son tested positive for WA-1. I think it was Quest, but I'm not sure.
He doesn't have night sweats... but he keeps getting anemic. Is anemia a sign of Babesia... or could it be Lyme or Bartonella?
Headaches, too.
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
Were they antibody tests or antigen (PCR or Fish)?
An antibody test looks for your body's response to the pathogen. It can be old exposure or current. A Fish or PCR looks for the pathogen itself, and will reveal current infection.
Like the difference between a bear and its footprint that you might see on the ground, with the bear long gone (or close by).
But chronic infections with babesia tend to be hard to find, so a negative PCR or Fish can be false negative.
In the good old days, the Bowen lab looked for the parasite itself in blood smears on slides under a microscope, and they spent a long time doing it. No one else will do this now, so the tests we have available at this point are the ones described above.
Posted by Wolfed Out (Member # 23727) on :
I see. I should be more specific then.
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LabCorp WA1 IgG Antibody, IFA 1:256 H (POSITIVE)
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IGeneX B. duncani IFA [G/M]
"immunofluorescent antibody test"
IgM < 20 Negative IgG < 40 Negative
IgM = 40-160 May indicated active infection
IgG or IgM > 160 suggests active infection.
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
So basically you had two antibody tests that were contradictory.
Be nice if testing were the foolproof method that the public thinks it is.
At this point, you can either try for a PCR or Fish test to look for the actual germ, with the chance of false negatives, or go by symptoms.
Posted by t9im (Member # 25489) on :
Babesia is hard to detect, never mind the strain.
Our LLMD indicated a CA lab ran a test 7 times from the same blood with the 1st 6 negative and the 7th positive.
There is a reason one can't rely on the test and you have to go by a clinical diagnosis.
If you have a positive test all the better so you at least know you have it.
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
Best, Timaca
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
Timaca, LabCorp IS sending this test directly to Focus Labs. It says so on my results. The question is if having a positive result means a damn thing from a health perspective or if everyone is exposed to this organism.
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
Hi Seekhelp~ I don't think "everyone" is exposed to Babesia WA1. If you read the study that I posted a link to, 2% of 900 specimens were positive for WA1. 27% of blood sent in for WA1 testing was positive for WA1.
Your first point is an important one...does having a high antibody titer mean anything?
In my personal journey to get well, I'm testing for lots of pathogens, and treating the ones with the highest antibody titers first. I have several of those pathogens, so my doctors and I have been busy.
If, after doing a lot of testing, I only had high antibody titers to WA1 (or any other pathogen) and I was sick, I'd treat that pathogen and see if I got better.
I feel your pain. I know that this is a hard puzzle to figure out.
Best, Timaca
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
I had the same LabCorp result for WA-1 as you do.
Not everyone tests positive for it (according to studies), but it does seem to be more common that one would think. Has anyone here ever tested negative via LabCorp/Focus?
It could be something similar to Igenex vs regular labs. Those submitting samples for WA-1 testing will be those who strongly suspect Babesia, so it wouldn't be uncommon to have a higher rate of positives. Still... who knows?
One other option is to see if you can get tested from Sonoma Labs in CA, as they do the WA-1 thing too. But I'm not sure if that's for local people only or not.
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
Lemon-Lyme, it's for CA residents only I heard. No luck. You are correct, those tested for it most surely would be more likely to have it as it's a pretty obscure disease. Well, I guess if 2% of the normal blood supply has it, that's not THAT obscure. Hmmm.
However, when positive there never = positive at Igenex for the same test, it's awfully suspect IMO. It's sure not like Igenex is known for suppressing positives. lol. The king lab of positive Lyme WBs.
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
Have you tried Bactrim DS? It is somewhat effective against babesia and bartonella. If your symptoms of dizziness etc worsen, it is probably a herx and not a side effect.
Posted by Wolfed Out (Member # 23727) on :
If you're asking me, nef, Bactrim DS is the GOD of antibiotics for me. That and Rifampin.
I don't herx off it at all anymore, but if I try to get off of it, symptoms worsen -- anxiety, fatigue, vasoconstriction, mental exhaustion are a few symptoms I can think of off the top of my head.
But, I'm not convinced I'm hitting Babesia.
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
As for Igenex, has anyone ever written them and asked for an explanation why they'd come back negative from them, yet positive from a different lab? I expect they'll just say the other lab is faulty (or theirs is more accurate) -- but maybe it's something to do with the strains checked, or cross-reactivity, etc.?
And I think nefferdun has the right idea -- med trial and see how you react.
Have you tried mepron or malarone? Things that should primarily just hit babesia?
Bactrim sorta killed me when I tried it (couldn't take it more than 5-6 days), but I just started Mepron two weeks ago.
By around the 5th day or so, I started feeling a little extra sickly... breathing slightly worse... a bit dizzy and what I'd describe as 'hot flashes' or feeling a little feverish, but those feelings would come and go.
But I have no idea if that's a herx, side effect of medication, or simply because I'm no longer on Doxy.
Posted by blinkie (Member # 14470) on :
wolfed-interesting that you like rifampin and bactrim. I got 100% well on that combo after treating lyme for two years.
I live in Ca but have never taken a babesia Duncani test. So, not sure if I'm fightin babesia either. But, my remaining symptoms point to some type of parasitic infection as I respond mostly to anti parasitics.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
It says so on my results. The question is if having a positive result means a damn thing from a health perspective or if everyone is exposed to this organism.