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What is Borrelia burgdorferi test?
Does Borrelia burgdorferi cause Lyme disease?
What is Borrelia burgdorferi?
Can Borrelia cause Lyme disease?
What is this test? This test measures the level of Borrelia antibodies in your blood. Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria cause Lyme disease. The bacteria are spread to humans through the bite of an infected tick. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the U.S.
- What is a Lyme disease blood test?
- What are antibodies?
- Testing for Lyme disease at the laboratory
- Lyme disease antibody test procedure
- Risks of a Lyme disease antibody test
- Following up after the procedure
A Lyme disease blood test is used to determine if you have contracted Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi), the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Lyme disease tests are conducted with a routine blood draw.
While there are other species of Borrelia that cause Lyme disease, B. burgdorferi is the most common cause in the United States. Most antibody tests in the United States only test for B. burgdorferi, but other species-specific tests are available depending on a person’s travel history.
Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through ticks that are infected with Borrelia.
Symptoms of Lyme disease include:
•headache
•joint pain
Antibodies are proteins your body makes in response to foreign or harmful substances called antigens. Common antigens include:
•bacteria
•viruses
•fungi
•chemicals
Your body produces antibodies if you have contracted B. burgdorferi. These Lyme disease-specific antibodies will be present in your blood, and your test will be positive if you have the bacterial infection.
A series of laboratory tests can detect Lyme disease antibodies. These tests include:
•ELISA: stands for “enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,” which detects antibodies in your bloodstream
•IgM antibody test: tests for the IgM antibody present in the blood when you have an infection
•IgG antibody test: tests for the IgG antibody that fights bacterial infection
•Western blot: a follow-up test that detects proteins and antibodies in the blood (the Western blot is only meaningful during the first 4 weeks of an infection)
The ELISA test is performed first. If results are positive or equivocal, a second test, IgM/IgG immunoassay or immunoblot is performed. It is no longer recommended to check IgM or IgG antibodies without a prior immunoassay.
The Lyme disease antibody test requires no advance preparation. A lab technician will swab the inside of your elbow with an antiseptic before drawing your blood. Your blood will be drawn from a vein in your arm using a small needle.
The blood draw should not be painful, though you might feel a slight prick when the needle is inserted into your vein.
There are very few risks associated with the Lyme disease antibody test. Excessive bleeding is possible, but there may be an increased risk if you take blood thinning medications or certain anti-inflammatory drugs like:
•heparin
•warfarin
•aspirin
•ibuprofen
•naproxen
Once you have Lyme disease, the antibodies remain in your blood. So even after you have been treated for the disease, you might still have positive blood tests.
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. Your doctor will discuss your course of treatment in detail if you test positive for the bacterial infection.
May 21, 2021 · Antibodies can take several weeks to develop, so patients may test negative if infected only recently. Antibodies normally persist in the blood for months or even years after the infection is gone; therefore, the test cannot be used to determine cure.
Feb 10, 2023 · Antibiotic pills. The standard treatment for Lyme disease is an antibiotic taken as a pill. The treatment usually lasts 10 to 14 days. Treatment may be longer depending on your symptoms. It's important to take all pills as directed even if you're feeling better.
Jul 17, 2023 · Borrelia burgdorferi is a pathogenic spirochete responsible for Lyme disease via a tick vector. This spirochete causes a characteristic annular rash, arthritis, carditis, and in late stages, encephalopathy.
- Randi Tatum, Anthony L. Pearson-Shaver
- 2023/07/17
- PBCGME, Nova Southeastern University
Jun 14, 2023 · Keri K Hall, MD, MS. Literature review current through: Mar 2024. This topic last updated: Jun 14, 2023. INTRODUCTION. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, Canada, and Europe [ 1-3 ]. It is a bacterial infection caused by six species in the spirochete family Borreliaceae.
In the United States, the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (hereafter termed B burgdorferi) is the only pathogen that causes Lyme disease. However, in Europe and Asia, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, and other related species, in addition to B burgdorferi, cause Lyme disease.
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