immune antibodies

[smartyjones]

i'm trying to make sure i understand blood antibody tests. i'd appreciate any comments.

 

when we do blood tests for infections, we are testing for the presence of immune antibodies against that particular infection, yes? so if you have a properly functioning immune system, you would possibly have antibodies in your blood to anything you have ever been exposed to, right? even things that may not have ever caused a clinical problem for you? because that's why we have an immune system - to fight off things that may cause problems, right?

 

this is the whole reason that we immunize, right? exposing the body to a small amount of an infectious agent to allow it to build up antibodies in case it is exposed, it will already know how to make those antibodies?

 

in determining immune dsyfunction, they re-immunize, therefore knowingly expose to an agent, and then test to see if the body produces antibodies to that agent? if not, it's determined the body has a dsyfunction?

 

certain antibodies have certain lives, right? and with some, it can be determined whether it is a current infection or a past one, right?

 

so, generally, if you have clinical symptoms of some disorder or infection, a blood test is an assumptive connection that that those antibodies are fighting an infection that is causing the clinical symptoms, right? albeit, an educated assumption -- but still an assumption, yes?

 

if you were to run blood tests for infections for the sake of interest or research, it only shows that you have those antibodies and have been exposed to that virus/bacteria but doesn't really ever show that that particular infection has caused you negative clinical symptoms. is that correct?

 

a throat culture or CSF culture, looks for the presence of the actual bacteria, right?

 

on a different note, if you have had lyme in your life, but have treatment -- will you always test on a lyme antibody test?

 

thanks for any thoughts!

Edited August 7, 2010 by smartyjones

[lynn]

I am not the expert you were hoping for, but I am interested in the questions. To follow along with w

what you are asking, this is possibly the reason that many PANDAS kids who are immune deficient don't

have high titers--they aren't making them?

[smartyjones]

no thoughts?

 

i brought this back up b/c i was thinking about it in light of recent posts of testing and cross-reacting antibodies.

 

still, with blood testing -- it's an educated guess that your detrimental symptoms are due to that particular infection b/c it shows that your immune system is/has tried to fight this certain infection and you have symptoms associated with that condition, yes??

 

conceivably, if you felt completely healthy with NO detrimental symptoms of anything, and were in fact, truly healthy, your blood antibody tests could show all kinds of things b/c that is the purpose of an immune system, right?

 

buster? ' tommy, can you hear me?' -- sorry, wrong band!