posted
Anyone know of any labs that test for Babesia MO1? Igenex only tests for microti and duncani. I hate to take Malarone for a long time without knowing for sure if I have it.
Posts: 142 | From Midwest | Registered: Sep 2015
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
The Hold the Mayo Clinic reports having a test for it. The only thing I find more horrible than the Hold the Mayo Clinic is their lab, so you can do as you please, but I wouldn't expect much.
"The Mayo Clinic real-time PCR assay provides a rapid and sensitive alternative to blood film examination and enables the detection and differentiation of Babesia microti, Babesia duncani/Babesia duncani-like and Babesia divergens/Babesia divergens-like parasites. It does not cross-react with malaria parasites."
posted
I was hoping for a reputable, good lab, similar to how the Galaxy lab is with Bartonella, but would be able to test for the MO1 strain of Babesia.
Posts: 142 | From Midwest | Registered: Sep 2015
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me
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 45475
posted
Have you thought about having a blood smear? I agree with Tincup about Mayo.
There is no telling what Mayo would report back about the test.
Do you have a reputable LLMD? Babesiosis, like Lyme, can also be diagnosed clinically, as tests are also insensitive.
I tested negative for babesia from 4 or 5 different labs, but you can clearly see it in the blood smear my LLMD did. If your LLMD is reputable and believes you clinically present with Babesiois, that is telling--if this is the case, in my opinion, antimalarials are worth it.
Before even having the positive blood smear, my LLMD said that clinically it sounded like I had a nasty case of babesiosis.
I wish I could be more helpful.
-------------------- Just sharing my experiences, opinions, and what I've read and learned. Not medical advice. Posts: 1431 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2015
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posted
My LLMD never mentioned anything about being able to do a blood smear, but I will ask him.
Posts: 142 | From Midwest | Registered: Sep 2015
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me
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 45475
posted
Not all llmds do them, but it is worth seeing if he/she does.
-------------------- Just sharing my experiences, opinions, and what I've read and learned. Not medical advice. Posts: 1431 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2015
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TX Lyme Mom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3162
posted
I had a chance to speak with Dr. Nick Harris, owner of Igenex, at an ILADS Conf. some 10+ years ago and I asked him about the possibility of their offering a test for the Babesia MO-1 strain.
His answer was very discouraging because he said that he had tried but had been unable to obtain a sample of this strain and that he couldn't design such a test without it. Otherwise, he'd be glad to offer it.
I don't understand this lack of cooperation among researchers, but there are probably legal reasons involved since universities often have a say in what researchers can do because of their institution's investment of resources in such discoveries.
This is just an educated guess on my part because my husband is a scientific researcher (not in a medical field though) at a major university, so I know that such restrictions do exist sometimes.
In other words, it's not always an unwillingness to cooperate on the part of the researchers themselves, but it has to do with who owns the patents, if any.
Researchers sometimes do not have full control over their own discoveries and/or patents because of outside research funding as well as institutional support where their laboratory facilities are located.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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