Lyme Disease Tests
Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria you get from tick bites .
Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria you get from tick bites . Lyme disease tests look for signs of infection in a sample of your blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF is a clear liquid that flows in and around your brain and spinal cord. The test checks your sample for antibodies that your immune system makes to fight the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. You can get Lyme disease if an infected tick bites you. Ticks can bite you anywhere on your body, but they usually bite in hard-to-see places such as your groin, scalp, backs of the knees, and armpits. Most Lyme disease is caused by bites from black-legged ticks (also known as deer ticks), which are about the size of a sesame seed. Baby black-legged ticks are about the size of a poppy seed, so you may not know you have been bitten. In general, an infected tick needs to be attached to you for 36 to 48 hours before it can pass Lyme disease bacteria onto you. Without treatment, Lyme disease can cause serious health problems that may affect your joints, heart, and nervous system . But if you find Lyme disease early, it can usually be cured after a few weeks of treatment with antibiotic medicine. If it's found later, treatment may take up to eight weeks. Other names: Lyme antibodies detection, Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies test, Borrelia DNA Detection, IgM/IgG by Western Blot, Lyme disease test (CSF), Borrelia antibodies, IgM/IgG
Why is this test ordered? You may need a test if you have symptoms of infection and were exposed or possibly exposed to ticks that carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The first symptoms of Lyme disease usually show up between 3 and 30 days after the tick bite. Symptoms may vary from person to person. Early signs and symptoms may include: A reddish, round skin rash that slowly gets bigger over several days. It usually doesn't itch or hurt, but it may be warm. As it gets better, it may look like a bull's-eye (a red ring with a clear center), but not always. Fever Chills Headache Fatigue Muscle and joint aches Swollen lymph nodes ("swollen glands") Later signs and symptoms of Lyme disease usually involve your joints and nervous system. They include: Severe headaches and neck stiffness Rashes on other parts of your body Facial palsy (drooping of one or both sides of your face) Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, especially in the knees Pain that comes and goes in your muscles, joints, bones, and tendons Arrhythmia (a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat) Periods of feeling dizzy or short of breath Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in your hands or feet
Clinical Interpretation
Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose. The symptoms are common to many conditions, and test results alone can't diagnose the disease. To make a diagnosis, your provider will consider your test results along with your medical history, exposure, and symptoms. You may also need other tests. A negative blood test result means that antibodies to fight the Lyme disease bacteria were not found in your blood. If you had symptoms for longer than 30 days before your test, you probably don't have Lyme disease. But if you had symptoms for less than 30 days before you gave your blood sample, you may need to have another Lyme disease test. That's because it may take a few weeks for your body to make enough antibodies to show up on a test. If your test was done too soon, you could be infected even though your test was negative. This is called a "false negative." A positive blood test result means that antibodies to fight the Lyme disease bacteria were found in your blood. In this case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a second blood test on the same blood sample. If the second test is positive and you have symptoms of infection, you probably have Lyme disease. But positive test results don't always mean that Lyme disease is causing your symptoms. You could have antibodies from a past case of Lyme disease that your body successfully fought off months or even years ago. It's also possible to have a "false positive." That means you don't have antibodies that fight Lyme disease bacteria, even though the test says you do. The test may have mistakenly found antibodies that fight other bacteria or diseases, such as certain autoimmune diseases . And it's possible that these diseases are causing your symptoms, not Lyme disease. The results from a CSF test can help show whether Lyme disease has spread to your nervous system. A negative CSF test result means that no Lyme disease antibodies were found in your CSF. But it doesn't rule out Lyme disease in your nervous system. You may need more tests. A positive CSF test result means that Lyme disease antibodies were found in your CSF. If more antibodies were in your CSF than in your blood, it's possible that Lyme Disease has spread to your nervous system. Your provider will prescribe antibiotic medicine if you are likely to have Lyme disease. Most people who are treated with antibiotics in the early stage of the disease will recover completely. Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results .
Clinical Protocol & Patient Advice
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You don't need any special preparations for a Lyme disease blood test. For a lumbar puncture, you may be asked to empty your bladder (pee) and bowels (poop) before the test.
Usage Guidance
- Reference ranges vary by laboratory. Always discuss your specific results with a qualified healthcare professional.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. View the original.