time line for titers after tick bite

[smartyjones]

just curious -- what's the current thinking about the time it takes titers to show after the tick bite?

[philamom]

I would think NOT before 6 weeks for an antibody test (Elisa, Western Blot).

[lyme_mom]

I would think NOT before 6 weeks for an antibody test (Elisa, Western Blot).

Years ago our llmd told me that it can take up to 8 weeks for antibodies to develop.

[911RN]

I have had positive WB out of the ER within days to 2 weeks of tick exposure. Literature and research report "most seroconvert" within 4 weeks. Like most things with Lyme- all kind of vague, "most people". This is one source I found for what it's worth. Anecdotally, I have seen positive western blot testing before 4 week time frame.

 

 

 

Recommendation 1.3. Testing and Stage of Disease

When Western immunoblot is used in the first four weeks after disease onset (early Lyme disease), both IgM and IgG procedures should be performed. Most Lyme disease patients will seroconvert within this four-week period. In the event that a patient with suspected early Lyme disease has a negative serology, serologic evidence of infection is best obtained by the testing of paired acute- and convalescent-phase samples. In late Lyme disease, the predominant antibody response is usually IgG. It is highly unusual that a patient with active Lyme disease has only an IgM response to Borrelia burgdorferi after one month of infection. A positive IgM result alone is not recommended for use in determining active disease in persons with illness of longer than one month duration, because the likelihood of a false-positive tests result is high for these individuals.

[philamom]

A positive IgM result alone is not recommended for use in determining active disease in persons with illness of longer than one month duration, because the likelihood of a false-positive tests result is high for these individuals.

 

 

Disagree with this line. My daughter had positive IGM (only) for over a year. Our doctor told us it was most likely due to a chronic, persistent infection. She was taken of abx late September, and in November her western blot finally tested positive both IGM & IGG. In December, we ran the new culture test and it was positive. They send you a pic of the spirochetes (yuck). At that time I also ran the Quest Elisa which was negative.

 

edit- slowly resumed abx the end of Feb and is doing much better, again.

Edited May 26, 2012 by philamom