posted
My LLND is going to start treating me for Bart in two weeks. She thinks my symptoms point to that. I have a lot of confidence in her but I'm just curious if there is a test for it and how reliable is the test?
-------------------- I'm not there yet but I'm closer than I was yesterday.---- Lyme Band 31,41,58. Being treated for Lyme and Bartonella. Posts: 149 | From Maine | Registered: Oct 2010
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
There are bartonella tests. Igenex has the following bart tests:
Bartonella IgG & IgM, Bartonella FISH
See Igenex.com
Burrascano says the tests are insensitive, meaning not very reliable. So, he advises to diagnose bart by symptoms.
My lyme doc tested me for babs and bart through Igenex and I was positive for both. He did at least 2 different tests for each. So, you could order all 3 of the bart Igenex tests and see what result you get.
Here is Burrascano on diagnosing bart:
"BARTONELLA-LIKE ORGANISMS
It has been said that Bartonella is the most common of all tick-borne pathogens. Indeed, there seems to be a fairly distinct clinical syndrome when this type of organism is present in the chronic Lyme patient....
Indicators of BLO infection include CNS symptoms out of proportion to the other systemic symptoms of chronic Lyme. There seems to be an increased irritability to the CNS, with agitation, anxiety, insomnia, and even seizures, in addition to other unusually strong symptoms of encephalitis, such as cognitive deficits and confusion. Other key symptoms may include gastritis, lower abdominal pain (mesenteric adenitis), sore soles, especially in the AM, tender subcutaneous nodules along the extremities, and red rashes. These rashes may have the appearance of red streaks like stretch marks that do not follow skin planes, spider veins, or red papular eruptions. Lymph nodes may be enlarged and the throat can be sore....
Because standard Bartonella testing, either by serology or PCR, may not pick up this BLO, the blood test is very insensitive. Therefore, the diagnosis is a clinical one, based on the above points. Also, suspect infection with BLO in extensively treated Lyme patients who still are encephalitic, and who never had been treated with a significant course of specific treatment."
So, basically, Burrascano is saying that an experienced lyme doctor will be able to tell when bart is present in the lyme patient based on symptoms alone (there is "a fairly distinct clinical syndrome when this type of organism is present") and a doc should also suspect bart if the patient has been extensively treated for lyme but never bart and still has symptoms of encephalitis.
In my case, I really had no symptoms of bart or babesiosis, but Igenex found both in my blood. It surprised my lyme doctor very much. (Looking back, I do remember 2 episodes of burning soles of the feet. They happened in the afternoon and lasted a few hours. At the time, I thought it was such a hot day that the pavement was burning my feet through my shoes--but nobody else was complaining about it!)
I have learned over the years that nearly every lyme patient has bartonella and babesiosis also. In fact, in my area, I have only met one lyme patient who did not have all 3.
This is so very common that many lyme doctors simply treat for all 3 automatically in every lyme patient. They call them "the big 3."
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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surprise
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34987
posted
Galaxy Labs has a very high reputable test for Bartonella, but,
it requires being off all antibiotics for 4 weeks, and 3 separate blood draws in a 1 week time frame.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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-------------------- I'm not there yet but I'm closer than I was yesterday.---- Lyme Band 31,41,58. Being treated for Lyme and Bartonella. Posts: 149 | From Maine | Registered: Oct 2010
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