nice reply Carrie and Jackie
Greetings, long time no hear. Hope you are doing okay.
To my understanding:
IgM and IgG indicate the length of time since you were infected:
--Positive IgM results indicate a current or more recently acquired infection.
--Positive IgG results indicate an older or dormant infection.
There is no magic cutoff day on which the IgM stops and the next day the IgG shows up; it's just a general indicator to give your doc an idea how long you have been infected.
====================================
If you google "lyme ifa", the first hit is a link to download a document on the IgeneX website that explains IFA, whole blood and PCR tests you mention as conducted by IgeneX. Sounds like your doc had a whole work up done; that's good.
====================================
As to the specific bands, the CDC interpretation requires more positive bands and more +++ marks to call it a positive Lyme diagnosis. IgeneX requires fewer bands and fewer +++ marks to call it positive.
The double starred ** bands are the more important ones because they indicate Lyme specifically. "Bb" means Borellia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme. An 'outer surface protein' means protein molecules that exist on the outer surface of the bacterium. 'Specific' means that ONLY Bb will give a positive response on that band.
**23-25 -- this indicates the presence of outer surface protein C (OspC), which is specific to Bb
**31 -- OspA, specific to Bb
**34 -- OspB, specific to Bb
**39 -- a major protein of Bb flagellin (the little whip-like tail); specific to Bb
**41 -- flagellin of all spiral-shaped bacteria, including Bb; this could be Bb or could be another spiral-shaped bacterium
** 83-93 -- specific to Bb, probably a piece of membrane from the bacterium
===========================================
NonLLMDs require more +++ on more bands to confirm a Lyme diagnosis, but I have never read their defense as to why.
Looks like you may well have Lyme, on the IgeneX standard. Welcome to the club.
Doesn't look like you were tested for other diseases like the Ehrlichia that Carrie mentions above. The Lyme ticks often carry other 'bonus' diseases.
What does your doc say?
Gaucho:
If you tested Positive with Igenex, I think that means, according to Igenex standards, that you have lyme, but I'm no doctor. I also posted Negative on the IgM but positive on the Igg with the following:
**31 ++
**41 ++
58 +
I also tested positive for co-infection of ehrlichiosis (1:80 titer). Were you tested for any co-infections? My LLMD said that because I tested positive for the co-infection that there was no doubt that I had lyme....
Are you seeing an LLMD?
Carrie