My adult son was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and I was curious how you interpret the values.
What shows up as abnormal is:
Lyme, Western Blot, Serum Lyme Ab IgG by WB: IgG P66 Ab. PRESENT ABNORMAL
Lyme Ab IgM by WB: IgM P41 Ab. PRESENT ABNORMAL IgM P23 Ab. PRESENT ABNORMAL
Lyme IgM WB Interp. POSITIVE ABNORMAL
So, just guessing, I have no idea what I'm looking at - but it looks like there is only one Present IgG, but 2 Present IgM. So he doesn't test positive for IgG, but is positive for IgM.
This is very confusing as when I tried to do some research it said that IgM was a sign of current infection. My son does not recall a tick bite and has symptoms for at least a year if not perhaps 4 or 5 years.
My son was also tested positive for Chronic Reactivating Epstein Barr Virus. The dr said that may be a false positive because of the Lyme Disease. Interestingly, I also have CAEBV (but no Lyme's)Can it be the opposite? Can the CAEBV cause a false positive for Lyme's?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
You can't argue with POSITIVE!
The confusion with IgM and IgG comes from OTHER infections being "current" with the IgM positive ... BUT NOT WITH LYME DISEASE.
"With most infections, your immune system first forms IgM antibodies, then in about 2 to 4 weeks, you see IgG antibodies. In some infections, IgG antibodies may be detectable for years.
Because Borrelia burgdorferi is a chronic persistent infection that may last for decades, you would think patients with chronic symptoms would have positive IgG Western blots.
But actually, more IgM blots are positive in chronic borreliosis than IgG. Every time Borrelia burgdorferi reproduces itself, it may stimulate the immune system to form new IgM antibodies.
Some patients have both IgG and IgM blots positive. But if either the IgG or IgM blot is positive, overall it is a positive result.
Response to antibiotics is the same if either is positive, or both. Some antibodies against the borrelia are given more significance if they are IgG versus IgM, or vice versa." ---Dr C of MO
Posted by JBS (Member # 37360) on :
Lymetoo,
Thanks so much for the article reference! It was easy enough to read, but very detailed.
The whole IgG and IgM would have me completely turned around if you had not explained it to me.
I do have a question after reading the article: It said that one needed to be off of antibiotics for 14 days in order to retest and not get a false negative.
My son's doctor gave him a prescription for antibiotics with a lot of refills. From some of what I read, he probably will need at least two months worth of antibiotics since he probably has had Lyme's for some time now.
When he has completed one month, should he stop the antibiotics and wait a couple of weeks and then get retested. Or should he take the antibiotics for two months before getting off?
Posted by fflutterby (Member # 28081) on :
He should keep going until two months after he is symptom free. Do you have an good LLMD ? The doctor is the key to putting this in remission. Post a message in Seeking a Dr. with your state in the subject.
Posted by JBS (Member # 37360) on :
ffluterby,
Thanks for the info on how long to take the antibiotics. He also tested positive for Chronic Active Epstein Barr. I'm curious if he might have overlapping symptoms. It might be difficult to tell when he is free from Lyme's.
We have a doctor who specializes in CFS and AIDS/immune dysfunctions. She is the one who ordered the test in the first place and put him on antibiotics. So, even though she doesn't specialize in Lyme's I think she knows enough to treat him initially. My son doesn't have the money to go to a doctor that is not covered by his insurance. With his health problems, work has been a problem and he is newly married. So they are just scraping by.
I'm hoping to get enough info through this board, that I can relay to his doctor on what treatments he should pursue. I think she is open to any treatment or testing.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Why would he want to be tested again? There is NO need to.
EBV often shows up along with Lyme. If you treat the Lyme (not lymes) the EBV will usually go back to normal. If not, then he can take antivirals.
and yes, take antibiotics for at least 2 months after being FREE of symptoms
Posted by JBS (Member # 37360) on :
Lymetoo,
I was thinking he would want to be tested again to make sure that he was free from active Lyme's. You don't think that's necessary?
Thanks for the input on EBV. That's very helpful. Basically what his doctor told him, but it's nice to have it confirmed.
Posted by Cuffie (Member # 48701) on :
My western blot IgGP66 ab, is the only Present result that I received from my complete lymes profile. The doctor states that I may have been exposed to lymes, but I do not have the disease. Help me to understand this, for a bacteria is either positive or negative, correct...
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Cuffie ... You could still have LYME (not lymes) even with only band 66 IgG .. especially if this was a test through Quest or LabCorp.
[ 09-07-2016, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: Lymetoo ]
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Keebler .. this is an old thread. I haven't seen JBS in a long time.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Ohhhh . . . thanks. I thought I had learned to look at the top date but forgot. FOUR years old it is. I hate it when that happens, but thanks for letting me know so I can rest my brain cells on that (unnecessary verboseness has been deleted as you've covered the first round of basics for Cuffie's new post). -
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Cuffie, yes Lymetoo is telling you what we all know here--that Quest and LabCorp lyme tests are junk. They miss a lot of cases of lyme.
A better lab would be Igenex in California. They specialize in tickborne dieases. Of course, they don't take insurance so you are paying over $200 just for the lyme test. But, it is something for you to think about.
Also, you really should read page 7 of the Burrascano Lyme Treatment Guidelines found here:
Burrascano was the #1 lyme doctor in the U.S. until he retired. He was the original lyme disease pioneer. People came to him from countries all over the world.
As he says, no lyme test is totally reliable, so a good doctor relies on symptoms and medical history and finally gives the patient a trial course of antibiotics for lyme to see what happens.
Of course, Texas is a terrible place to try to find a lyme doctor and get good treatment. You will most likely have to go out of state to get it.
Look at what I wrote to a person from Houston just a day or so ago regarding Texas:
Look at the list of common lyme symptoms on pages 9-10 of Burrascano. Mark all those that you have. Lyme specialists consider symptoms as a very important factor in deciding whether to give a trial course of lyme treatment.
If you have the symptoms, please try to get to a doc who will give you some treatment. That will tell the tale as they say.
Welcome to LymeNet! We will help you here all we can.