posted
My PCR and ELISA for Lyme are negative.. But my Abs. CD8/CD57+ is 46 (60-360). Can a low cd57 cause false negative Lyme tests? Already had chronic Lyme for 15 years and was successfully treated over a year ago. Is it back?
-------------------- Blessings to you! Posts: 141 | From Southern California | Registered: Mar 2010
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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- You say you had successful treatment over a year ago.
You had recent tests.
So, I assume you have a recurrence of symptoms (or you'd not be testing)?
I don't put much into the CD57 test but there are many reasons for a false negative:
(What ILADS is) . . . WHY you need an ILADS-educated, Lyme Literate Doctor - starting with assessment / evaluation. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
So can having a history of chronic lyme for over 15 years put a permanent dent in my CD57 so that even after successful treatment the value is still low?
-------------------- Blessings to you! Posts: 141 | From Southern California | Registered: Mar 2010
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- The CD57 is not a test for lyme. It can help shine some light on what your body is going through with stressors that can come from infection, but it's not a test for any particular infection.
You speak twice of successful treatment.
Are you FEELING WELL, now, then? And just wondering about tests for some reason? If so, there is no need for any tests. Live your life.
If you are not feeling well, the treatment may not have been as successful as hoped but there is still hope - treatment can take several years with combinations, rotations and attention to a wide range of things besides just lyme.
And, if not lyme, there could be other tick-borne or chronic stealth infections - or conditions (parasites, heavy metals) - to consider.
An ILADS educated LLMD is best to figure out what is going on, in light of your lyme history. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
. . . a correlation between the CD-57 fighter cells and Lyme disease. This is how it works:
Chronic Lyme infections are known to suppress the immune system. . . .
. . . Lyme suppresses Natural killer cell count such as CD57. As in HIV infection, where abnormally low T-cell counts are routinely used as a marker of how active the infection is, in
Lyme disease we can use the CD-57 count to indicate how active the Lyme infection is. When Lyme is active, the CD-57 count is low. . . .
* 0 - 60 indicates severe illness * 60 - 100 the range for most chronic Lyme disease * 100 - 200 may show improvement, still requires treatment * >200 is normal and safe to stop treatment without relapse
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Still, none of that is written in stone. And it can vary among patients. There may be other reasons for a very low CD57.
With the passage of time, most LLMDs are putting less and less emphasis on the CD57 as a diagnostic marker,
but, instead, to help determine if a patient may be safe in stopping treatment, along with other determinations (and perhaps the newer Advanced Labs Culture test).
Some thoughts from one doctor who treats lyme and stopped putting too much stock in the CD57 back in 2009:
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