Aa
Are my results positive for Lyme's disease?
IGM- Negative
31: +
34: IND
39:IND
41:IND
58: +
IGG
Negative
39: IND
41: ++
if I didn't include the rest of the numbers they are negative.
MY CD57 IS BORDERLINE AT 67 AND 4.92 WHICH IS NORMAL FOR NK CELLS %LYMPHO
31: +
34: IND
39:IND
41:IND
58: +
IGG
Negative
39: IND
41: ++
if I didn't include the rest of the numbers they are negative.
MY CD57 IS BORDERLINE AT 67 AND 4.92 WHICH IS NORMAL FOR NK CELLS %LYMPHO
The CD-57 is being replaced for the C-4A because of its unreliability. My CD-57 went from an 8 to a 38 yet I feel as sick as ever, a friend of mine has a CD-57 of 450 yet he is very sick. I believe this change was stated by Dr Burascano who is considered the "Father of Lyme disease"
Yes this is a igenex test. I also had a pcr whole blood test that came back negative
Jackie, I did have a pcr whole blood test done through igenex and it also was negative.
Welcome to MedHelp Lyme --
Below are interpretations taken a few years ago from an article posted on a site called truthaboutlymedisease. These may have been updated, but I suspect these definitions are fairly stable.
IgM is short for Immunoglobulin M, and IgG is short for Immunoglobulin G.
-- IgM is made and distributed in the body by the immune system shortly after an infection is detected. After a while, IgM begins to taper off, and IgG is then made by the immune system to continue attacking the Lyme bacteria.
-- IgG has the same purpose and action as IgM, except that the distribution of IgG in the body is made a while (that is, not immediately) after the infection is first noticed by the immune system, and when IgM has begun to trail off.
Therefore, IgG continues the work that IgM began.
Each of the numbers above (such as 31, 34, etc.) are specific markers within each of the IgG and IgM antibody groupings. The numbers are the same or nearly the same for both of IgG and IgM antibody versions, with the only difference being timing of when the IgG and IgM antibodies were made (that is, earlier or later in the course of the infection). Both early and late positive IgG and IgM markers are significant.
The "+" signs after each band show how strong the band's presence is. The more + signs, the stronger the presence. The maximum number of "+" signs for a band is four.
Here is a breakdown of your test results (note that I am NOT medically trained, so these notes are simply from my reading of various sources):
===============================================
IGM-Negative
this indicates that the test was, on the whole, negative, but nevertheless you do have some positive indicators. Remember that an 'indeterminate' band means *something* is there, and most Lyme docs will count it as a weak positive, but positive nevertheless:
31: + this band is positive
34: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
39: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
41: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
58: + this band is positive
=======================================
IGG -- Negative
this indicates that the test was, on the whole, negative, BUT you do have some positive or indeterminate indicators, which many MDs will call a slight positive -- because *any* positive indication means something -- that is, it is NOT nothing:
39: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
41: ++ this band is positive
======================================
Now you know what *each* of these bands means, but what do they mean, taken all together?
The information from truthaboutlymedisease (mentioned above, also written about elsewhere by others) states that the following bands are known to be Lyme for certain, and the presence of one or more of the following bands (including the weaker but still present 'indeterminate' bands) appears to support a diagnosis of Lyme disease, as I understand it: known Lyme bands are 18, 23, 30 (could also be a virus), 31, 34, 37, 39, 83 (and possibly 93 as a modified version of 83)
Because your tests show positive (at some level) for bands 31, 34, 39, 41, and 58 (regardless of whether they are IgM [early in the infection] or IgG [later in the infection], I would anticipate that a Lyme specialist may be inclined to diagnose you with Lyme disease. Note that bands 41 and 58 (for which you were positive) may or may not indicate Lyme, but the bands 31, 34, and 39 (for which you were also positive) are definitely classified as Lyme.
=====================================
Another note: Lyme bacteria are known to suppress the human immune system, so that the Western blot and ELISA test results given above may not show all the positive indicators that exist in your body.
There is another test, PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test, which does not rely on your immune system to determine whether you have Lyme, but instead looks for actual Lyme DNA in your blood stream: this is direct evidence of infection. Your MD may have decided not to do the [more expensive?] PCR tests, unless the cheaper Western blot/ELISA tests were negative or unclear.
If your doc reads the test results above as positive, then the doc may not do the PCR tests, but they are helpful in people whose immune systems are so beaten down that they no longer make significant numbers of antibodies against Lyme, even though the patient may truly have Lyme.
==================================
While the test results you posted above both say 'negative', remember that these tests were first designed for epidemiological testing, trying to trace the spread of bacterial infections through a population. For those purposes, keeping the bar very high is important to be certain what looks like Lyme IS a true Lyme infection. However, for diagnosing and treating an individual patient, tests should be viewed more broadly.
As a result, Western blot and ELISA are still used, but for Lyme specialists, the PCR test is the gold standard in many ways.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About CD57, it is a marker that is not used as widely as initially anticipated, because it was not as accurate as hoped. I believe less emphasis is place on it today, but have not read widely on the topic.
Best wishes to you -- let us know how you do.
Below are interpretations taken a few years ago from an article posted on a site called truthaboutlymedisease. These may have been updated, but I suspect these definitions are fairly stable.
IgM is short for Immunoglobulin M, and IgG is short for Immunoglobulin G.
-- IgM is made and distributed in the body by the immune system shortly after an infection is detected. After a while, IgM begins to taper off, and IgG is then made by the immune system to continue attacking the Lyme bacteria.
-- IgG has the same purpose and action as IgM, except that the distribution of IgG in the body is made a while (that is, not immediately) after the infection is first noticed by the immune system, and when IgM has begun to trail off.
Therefore, IgG continues the work that IgM began.
Each of the numbers above (such as 31, 34, etc.) are specific markers within each of the IgG and IgM antibody groupings. The numbers are the same or nearly the same for both of IgG and IgM antibody versions, with the only difference being timing of when the IgG and IgM antibodies were made (that is, earlier or later in the course of the infection). Both early and late positive IgG and IgM markers are significant.
The "+" signs after each band show how strong the band's presence is. The more + signs, the stronger the presence. The maximum number of "+" signs for a band is four.
Here is a breakdown of your test results (note that I am NOT medically trained, so these notes are simply from my reading of various sources):
===============================================
IGM-Negative
this indicates that the test was, on the whole, negative, but nevertheless you do have some positive indicators. Remember that an 'indeterminate' band means *something* is there, and most Lyme docs will count it as a weak positive, but positive nevertheless:
31: + this band is positive
34: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
39: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
41: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
58: + this band is positive
=======================================
IGG -- Negative
this indicates that the test was, on the whole, negative, BUT you do have some positive or indeterminate indicators, which many MDs will call a slight positive -- because *any* positive indication means something -- that is, it is NOT nothing:
39: IND this band is indeterminate (maybe a weak positive)
41: ++ this band is positive
======================================
Now you know what *each* of these bands means, but what do they mean, taken all together?
The information from truthaboutlymedisease (mentioned above, also written about elsewhere by others) states that the following bands are known to be Lyme for certain, and the presence of one or more of the following bands (including the weaker but still present 'indeterminate' bands) appears to support a diagnosis of Lyme disease, as I understand it: known Lyme bands are 18, 23, 30 (could also be a virus), 31, 34, 37, 39, 83 (and possibly 93 as a modified version of 83)
Because your tests show positive (at some level) for bands 31, 34, 39, 41, and 58 (regardless of whether they are IgM [early in the infection] or IgG [later in the infection], I would anticipate that a Lyme specialist may be inclined to diagnose you with Lyme disease. Note that bands 41 and 58 (for which you were positive) may or may not indicate Lyme, but the bands 31, 34, and 39 (for which you were also positive) are definitely classified as Lyme.
=====================================
Another note: Lyme bacteria are known to suppress the human immune system, so that the Western blot and ELISA test results given above may not show all the positive indicators that exist in your body.
There is another test, PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test, which does not rely on your immune system to determine whether you have Lyme, but instead looks for actual Lyme DNA in your blood stream: this is direct evidence of infection. Your MD may have decided not to do the [more expensive?] PCR tests, unless the cheaper Western blot/ELISA tests were negative or unclear.
If your doc reads the test results above as positive, then the doc may not do the PCR tests, but they are helpful in people whose immune systems are so beaten down that they no longer make significant numbers of antibodies against Lyme, even though the patient may truly have Lyme.
==================================
While the test results you posted above both say 'negative', remember that these tests were first designed for epidemiological testing, trying to trace the spread of bacterial infections through a population. For those purposes, keeping the bar very high is important to be certain what looks like Lyme IS a true Lyme infection. However, for diagnosing and treating an individual patient, tests should be viewed more broadly.
As a result, Western blot and ELISA are still used, but for Lyme specialists, the PCR test is the gold standard in many ways.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About CD57, it is a marker that is not used as widely as initially anticipated, because it was not as accurate as hoped. I believe less emphasis is place on it today, but have not read widely on the topic.
Best wishes to you -- let us know how you do.
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