LymeNet Flash: How long does it take for co-infections to show up in bloodwork?

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»	LymeNet Flash » Questions and Discussion » Medical Questions » How long does it take for co-infections to show up in bloodwork?

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Topic: How long does it take for co-infections to show up in bloodwork?

CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749

posted

Hi --
I know the testing sucks but it seems like most people I talk to get at least one or two positive co-infections to show up via testing during treatment. Many even had them show up before they began treatment, along with their positive WB.

Can anyone weigh in on this?

Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007 | IP: Logged |

CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749

posted

Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007 | IP: Logged |

Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375

posted

Hmmmmmm. My LLMD is treating me for babesia even though my fish was negative.

Problem with "waiting" for a positive test is this:

Testing via Fish only tests for two known strains of babesia.

There are (I believe) about 13 identified.

I might always test negative if the lab is not testing the strain I have.

Best to trust your LLMD and go by symptoms.

Also see how co-infection treatment makes you feel.

I herx like crazy on babs meds.

Hugs,

Geneal

Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006 | IP: Logged |

Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780

posted

I believe that like lyme, co-infections are a clinical diagnosis because the current blood tests are so inadequate and lead to a unacceptably high amount of false negatives.

For example, like Geneal pointed out above, babesia testing only looks for two strains out of the many that have been identified.

Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006 | IP: Logged |

Charolette
Junior Member
Member # 13008

posted

One thing that I would suggest to a 'newbie' (i.e. if I had to do it all over again)... is that when my strong positive IgM tests came back from Igenex (i.e. 9-bands positive) then I would have had co-infection testing done on that 'pure' blood sample (i.e. not tainted by abx or Chinese herbs that might have skewed test results). My symptoms for Babesiosis was very strong... and I only ended up with a Babesia FISH test 18-months after starting treatment.

Posts: 7 | From Canada | Registered: Aug 2007 | IP: Logged |

CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749

posted

Isn't that unusual, Charolette, for it to show up 18 months in? I'm going to ask my LLMD about this.
Most people I've talked to have gotten positive co-infections tests relatively quickly (under 4 months of tx or before starting).

Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007 | IP: Logged |

Michelle M
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7200

posted

quote:
Originally posted by CD57:

Most people I've talked to have gotten positive co-infections tests relatively quickly (under 4 months of tx or before starting).

Not necessarily. I tested positive for babesia WA-1 after one year of INTENSE lyme treatment -- IV Ceftriaxone, FLAGYL (gaack!), Doxy, etc -- even testing positive while on Plaquenil, which is said to have some anti-babesial properties.

Michelle

Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005 | IP: Logged |

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