posted
So my test from igenex testing for Anaplasma (HGE) came back 1:160 meaning positive i guess. Is there anything else that can cause a reaction like this to the test that could give a false positive?
Are there such things as false positives with a PCR?
[ 10. May 2006, 03:04 PM: Message edited by: luke339 ]
Posts: 167 | From Los Angeles | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
False ++ can happen with any kind of tests. Some are worse than others. You have to also look at your symptoms. What does your doc say?
-------------------- Pam Live well. Laugh often. Love much. Posts: 53 | From Ohio - south/southeast | Registered: Oct 2005
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David95928
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3521
posted
Luke, IMHO you need to chill out and let what you have started have time to work. See what happens. It can take several monthss to notice a difference, especially with long-standing infection. Trust your doctor, you have a good one now.
-------------------- Dave Posts: 2034 | From CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Mathias
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5298
posted
I have never heard of a false positive PCR, it is virtually proof positive of infection.
PCR's tend to be negative too often due to the difficulty in obtaining genetic material in the specimen taken.
-------------------- Mathias Posts: 1242 | From New Jersey | Registered: Feb 2004
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SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
posted
I agree that a false positive PCR is not likely and have never heard of one. A 1:160 titer for HGE is indicative of likely infection whether it is IgG or IgM.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
So obviously Lyme and anaplasma is kicking my *** right now, causing all of the problems i am having. I also got tested for babesia and all Mycoplasma Strains, all negative.
Posts: 167 | From Los Angeles | Registered: Jan 2006
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
Luke,
I think you and I have the same Lyme doctor. He is very good.
Many of us - I would say most of us - have multiple diseases from the tick bite.
We may the most-discussed tick-borne infections of Babs, Bart, Ehrlichia, etc. We may have mycloplasma or chlamydia pneumonia. Viruses such as HHV6 may have activated because of our compromised immune systems.
As one of the California Lyme Disease Association newsletters once described, "Ticks are sewers." They transmit all kinds of pathogens.
This is not to scare you. This is to make you realize you are not alone.
And your Lyme doctor has expertise in how to treat multiple diseases.
Some patients are able to treat Lyme and one or more coinfections at the same time.
Others, like myself, who cannot handle too many medications, have to be treated on a slower, more cautious program.
Your Lyme doctor will tailor the program to your medical history, your coinfections, how you are tolerating the medications, your symptom improvements, your herxing, etc.
As your treatment continues, and other symptoms may flare up or go away, your Lyme doctor may think that perhaps another coinfection is becoming more of a piece of the puzzle.
One of the things I've learned is that it's a rollercoaster ride. We need to be flexible and realize there will always be fine-tuning of our treatment, good days and bad days, new information and understanding about what's going on with your body.
I, too, like to research everything and try to understand it all so I can be a very active participant in my treatment decisions. However, it's also too easy to feel overwhelmed and panic.
As people have often said on this forum, Lyme is a marathon, not a sprint.
So please don't panic about the idea of anaplasma or any other tick-borne disease. It's a complex picture but you are in good hands.
Take care, Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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