I tested positive for Lyme with an Igenex Western Blot test but negative with a Quest test.

Can anyone lend some insight into this?

A LLMD told me recently that he won't use Quest any longer because they refuse to do the tests he requested. He asks for a WB, and they do an Elisa.

I would trust Igenex. BTW -I did not get a positive test from Igenex, mine came from Stony Brook.

I was negative by Quest and CDC positive by IgeneX on WB. I don't trust the production labs for anything.

I had been on pulsed abx's for about 10 months - mino and zith - and continued after my official Dx while waiting for co-infection test results from IgeneX. Showed up positive for babesia and so started zith and mepron about three weeks ago.

David

A friend suggested that I take a Igenex lyme test in 2005.

There seems to be a campaign right now against Igenex. You cannot have blood drawn on Cape Cod and ask that it be sent to Igenex. They refuse. We don't use that lab, etc.

It is the most reliable lab we have for testing. They are licensed in every state and are accredited....but doctors here say everyone tests positive with Igenex. More political stuff for us to deal with!

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Originally posted by JustMeInCT:

Are there many false positives with Igenex?

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There are false positives (few) and false negatives(many) with any laboratory and any test.

I've been able to relate my medical history to most probable exposure in the mid-1950's in coastal Texas - before Lyme was invented.

I've had more guessinoses and wasted testing than you can imagine. I finally talked my mainstream PCP to signing off on the IgeneX WB and did all the legwork myself to get the specimen drawn and shipped.

So, I would very much encourage you to get tested, as some friends on another board suggested to me. I'll make sure my email is available in my profile if you want to discuss the details.

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Originally posted by nan:
It is the most reliable lab we have for testing. They are licensed in every state and are accredited....but doctors here say everyone tests positive with Igenex. More political stuff for us to deal with!

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Because of the way the test is
done--A false negitive is Much
more lickly than a false positive

WB is the same test used to find
anthrax--remember the anthrax mail
thing a few years ago-- the government
just gave everyone ABX because the
test is so poor--Jay--

There are no iron clad foolproof tests...which is why lyme should be a clinical dx.

Your symptoms tell the story....and lab testing may show bands positive which are exclusive to Borrelia. When you put the two together...bingo for lyme!

Then there are people like me...who show only one or two bands positive through Igenex. After two years of tx I had another WB done and all the bands were positve! (CDC surveillance bands) So it is possible to test negative or equivocal and still have lyme.
Then when you are tested later after tx you
show a definite positive!

Igenex tests for all 9 of the Lyme specific bands on both the IgG and IgM. Quest only tests for 5 lyme specific bands on the IgG and only 2 on the IgM.

The spreadsheet doesn't post well here so email me if you want a copy of it.

Old test equipment, non certified staff, wrong kits, contamination, patient mix up of samples, ect. All of these things happen. Even in hospital labs.

Year after year people are told they have cancer and they dont or they have cancer and are told that they do not.

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Originally posted by Kara Tyson:
They hire people from employment agency's with no experiance in testing at all. At least with IGENEX you know that there is expertise.

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