I know your not a doctor--- but, I would like an opinion.

Does this mean that I have that also? The way I am learning about these tests I am assuming -- yes.

And what are the symtoms of it, are they different from lyme?

And just for fun....

IGM
18 +
22 -
23-25 -
28 -
30 ++
31 -
34 +/-
37 -
39 +/-
41 +
45 +/-
58 ++
66 ++
73 -
83 -
93 +

IGG
18 -
22 -
23-25 -
28 -
30 ++
31 +/-
34 +/-
37 -
39 +/-
41 ++
45 +/-
58 +/-
66 +/-
73 -
83 -
93 -

After reading the explainion of the western blot bands a billion times I still don't know what each one means.

Thanks for the help,
Lisi

J Immunol. 2004 Feb 1; 172(3): 1786-800.

Overproduction of TNF-alpha by CD8(+) Type 1 Cells and Down-Regulation of IFN-gamma Production by CD4(+) Th1 Cells Contribute to Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome in an Animal Model of Fatal Monocytotropic Ehrlichiosis.

Ismail N, Soong L, McBride JW, Valbuena G, Olano JP, Feng HM, Walker DH.

Departments of. Pathology and. Microbiology and Immunology, Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, and. Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555.

Human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (HME) is an emerging, life-threatening, infectious disease caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis, an obligate intracellular bacterium that lacks cell wall LPS.

We have previously developed an animal model of severe HME using a strain of Ehrlichia isolated from Ixodes ovatus ticks (IOE).

To understand the basis of susceptibility to severe monocytotropic ehrlichiosis, we compared low and high doses of the highly virulent IOE strain and the less virulent Ehrlichia muris strain that are closely related to E. chaffeensis in C57BL/6 mice.

Lethal infections caused by high or low doses of IOE were accompanied by extensive liver damage, extremely elevated levels of TNF-alpha in the serum, high frequency of Ehrlichia-specific, TNF-alpha-producing CD8(+) T cells in the spleen, decreased Ehrlicha-specific CD4(+) T cell proliferation, low IL-12 levels in the spleen, and a 40-fold decrease in the number of IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) Th1 cells.

All groups contained negligible numbers of IL-4-producing cells in the spleen.

ransfer of Ehrlichia-specific polyclonal Abs and IFN-gamma-producing Ehrlichia-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) type 1 cells protected naive mice against lethal IOE challenge.

Interestingly, infection with high dose E. muris provided protection against rechallenge with a lethal dose of IOE.

Cross-protection was associated with substantial expansion of IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells, but not TNF-alpha-producing CD8(+) T cells, a high titer of IgG2a, and a low serum level of TNF-alpha.

In conclusion, uncontrolled TNF-alpha production by CD8(+) T cells together with a weak CD4(+) Th1 cell response are associated with immunopathology and failure to clear IOE in the fatal model of HME.

PMID: 14734762 [PubMed - in process]

COINFECTIONS:

Dual Infection: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/dateline/0996/page3.htm

Babesiosis http://www.igenex.com/tickset1.htm http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001624.html http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/003767.html http://x-l.net/Lyme/abstracts/98.human_babesiosis.htm http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000677.html

Ehrlichiosis: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/ehrlichiosis-links.html#basic http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/VBDP/granulocytic/Relate-W.htm http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol2no1/walker1.htm

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: http://www.astdhpphe.org/infect/rms.html http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002027.html http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/003351.html http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001999.html

Bartonella: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/bartonella-links.html http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/008362.html

Anyway check it out here is the link..
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/030005.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FDA It is important that clinicians understand the limitations of these tests
Explaining Borreliosis (Lyme) Western Blot Tests
Explanation of Western Blot Bands
Igenex Labs on the Western Blot
Melissa Kaplan's Lyme Website Explains Western Blot
Dr. C Explains Western Blot
- Not present
+ Low
++ Medium
+++ High
+/- Equivocal = indeterminate (there, but not as intense as Low)

Thanks for all the links.. very interesting. I will have to take some time to go through it all.

I didn't see I-robot yet... everyone else did around here.