posted
Sorry to be redundant, still trying to understand this stuff. If you have IGM strains from Igenx, but you know you were bitten many years ago, does that mean you were re-bitten (IGM is current)? My igg was positive for only 41. I bareley had any symptoms for 7 years. All my symptoms appeared 2 weeks after surgery. My surgery was during the winter. Jenin
Posts: 455 | From Maryland | Registered: Jul 2007
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
No. People with chronic Lyme get IGM positive. I was bitten 20 years ago, I am not IGG positive. One doctor said my body isn't making IGG antibodies, probably because Lyme is supressing hte immune system.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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"With most infections, your immune system first forms IgM antibodies, then in about 2 to 4 weeks, you see IgG antibodies. In some infections, IgG antibodies may be detectable for years.
Because Borrelia burgdorferi is a chronic persistent infection that may last for decades, you would think patients with chronic symptoms would have positive IgG Western blots.
But actually, more IgM blots are positive in chronic borreliosis than IgG. Every time Borrelia burgdorferi reproduces itself, it may stimulate the immune system to form new IgM antibodies.
Some patients have both IgG and IgM blots positive. But if either the IgG or IgM blot is positive, overall it is a positive result.
Response to antibiotics is the same if either is positive, or both. Some antibodies against the borrelia are given more significance if they are IgG versus IgM, or vice versa.
Since this is a chronic persistent infection, this does not make a lot of sense to me. A newly formed Borrelia burgdorferi should have the same antigen parts as the previous bacteria that produced it.
But anyway, from my clinical experience, these borrelia associated bands usually predict a clinical change in symptoms with antibiotics, regardless of whether they are IgG or IgM." Dr C of MO
posted
Yes, Lymetoo, Dr C also told me the same thing as he wrote. I am positive according to him with high Elisas and 4 out of 5 IGg bands on the Western Blot. He did not see any need for me to be retested through Igenex for these 2 blood tests.
Hugs, Perplexed Posts: 324 | From Lexington, KY, USA | Registered: Dec 2001
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