IgG p66 Ab. Present on Western Blot Test

[trintiybella]

The above was "present" on my sisters Western Blot test. What does this mean? Also, can you explain the reasons that she should be doing the Igenix text instead. I can't remember what to tell her :0(

She has so many symptoms of Lyme disease and I really wish she would get help. Thanks.

[mama2alex]

Here's some great info on testing and diagnosis from ILADS: http://www.ilads.org/lyme/about-lyme.php

 

Also, here's a questionnaire developed by Dr. Richard Horowitz, a well respected LLMD, which can help determine whether a person might be dealing with Lyme. You might see if you can get her to fill it out. http://www.cangetbetter.com/symptom-list

[msimon3]

p66 (kDa) is inspecific to Borrelia, meaning it could be an antibody to other bacteria.

 

Regarding why you would use Igenex for a Western Blot test, the short answer is that it will give better positive results that a CDC-based test that Labcorp or Quest offer. The Igenex test looks at two strains of Borrelia instead of one and it tests for more bands (segments of protein to which an antibody will 'stick') -- in particular bands 31 and 34 which are specific to Borrelia.

 

The link above from ILADS is a good one. Here are some other helpful links:

http://www.columbia-lyme.org/patients/ld_lab_test.html

http://www.columbia-lyme.org/patients/controversies.html

http://lymediseasechallenge.org/testing/

http://www.igenex.com/innovations3.pdf

 

Keep in mind that a negative Lyme test (Elisa or WB) doesn't mean much. It means only that an antibody to a single protein on the Elisa was not found, or the right combination of antibodies were not found on the WB. A PCR (DNA) test is also very specific if positive, but also suffers from false negatives when no Borrelia is found in the sample even if Borrelia does reside in the body.

 

The only reliable diagnosis of Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis done by a competent and credible doctor.