Why CDC expert says positive PCR for Bb is not a proof the patient has lyme disease?
Because:
1- the PCR test is so sensitive it can be easily contaminated by foreign DNA in the laboratory and give a FALSE POSITIVE.
This means that fragments of DNA from Borrelia could be found in the environment of the lab and give a positive PCR result, while it should be negative.
2- the PCR test cannot distinguish between LIVE and DEAD microbes, so a positive PCR for Borrelia does not mean the patient has active lyme disease, because the pathogen may be long dead but still present in the body.
--------------------- So a positive PCR test for SarsCov2 is a PROOF that a person has ACTIVE COVID per CDC, because that's how all governments all over the world COUNT CASES of Covid,....
... but a positive PCR test of Borrelia is NOT A PROOF the person suffers from Lyme, per CDC??!?
Posted by nucleotide (Member # 52226) on :
The Lyme complex genetically modifies a person so on the unlikely chance that a person eliminated the infections then they are still left behind with that issue.
Antibiotics don't clear the infection they just put it in a dormant state.
Posted by Bartenderbonnie (Member # 49177) on :
Brussels, I found this about the 40 cycles PCR. If you are positive on PCR by 20 cycles or 40 cycles, you are positive.
Before I was diagnosed, I ended up in Urgent Care. The doctor wrote down instructions for my primary doctor to order me a PCR Lyme test. Almost all MD's believe a positive PCR for Lyme equates to a positive infection for Lyme. Your primary doctor will then refer you to an Infectious disease doctor due to your positive PCR for treatment. This is when the controversy begins. The IDSA and the CDC will not validate PCR's for Lyme. They determine the rules and that's where Lyme patients have been stuck for YEARS!
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Thank you Bonnie!!
The 20-40 cycles article makes sense to me.
I guess, a test remains only a test, it's not a proof of anything, in fact, specially because we don't know if the fragments of DNA or RNA we are finding belong to a dead or live microbe....
What bugs me is what you said above: while you have symptoms of lyme and is looking for a diagnosis, a positive PCR would then tend to mean you suffer from lyme.
But these institutions IDSA and CDC say no.
But for Covid, they say yes?!?
See? PCR was not invented to diagnose diseases. Karry Mullis said that. First, it's extremely sensitive, and if you play with cycles, he said, you can find anything in virtually anyone.
So, it's not very useful.
the insert of the PCR test itself come with clear instructions saying: This is NOT for clinical diagnosis, only for laboratory testing purposes.
Somehow then I would say, well, as it's not bullet proof showing yes or no, well, we can't really say positive PCRs for Bb are equal to active lyme.
But WHY is a positive PCR for SarsCov2 = Covid?!?
The CDC agrees with that, health insurances agree with the diagnosis based on PCRs, right?
but NOT FOR LYME!!?
The problem is the FULL ACCEPTANCE of CDC and the whole world that positive PCRs for SarsCov2 virus means POSITIVE CASE OF COVID!!!!
Posted by Phoiph (Member # 41238) on :
Brussels,
You bring up a good point.
I think you will find this article interesting and supportive of your concerns re PCR testing and Covid: