Hi Sittingduck,

Hmmmm, I'm afraid I am not familiar with the ARUP lab that you used. Sometimes using any lab other than Igenex can make a big difference. I know that the Western Blot testing at Quest and Labcorp is extremely unreliable and gives ALOT of people false negatives. Those labs don't even test for all of the Bands of the Lyme pathogen.

Igenex is the lab of choice in doing Lyme Western Blots, that's according to the ILADS organization and all the Lyme groups I'm familiar with.

It looks like you have something going on. And, after my own experience in trying to get answers over the past 11 years, plus what I've had to learn over the past year or so regarding Lyme, I'd say it really might be worth your while to be evaluated by a Lyme Literate Doctor to see if Lyme is the root of your problem.

You're feeling poorly. You already have an equivocal Elisa test (that could be significant regarding Lyme) -- even taking into account the fact that something like 70% of the people with active Lyme infections will test completely negative (i.e., not even an equivocal response) on an Elisa. And now you have some reactivity on Band 41 on the WB with this lab.

There is some disagreement about the importance and significance of Band 41 in Lyme diagnoses. I tested positive on Band 41 in both IGG and IGM with Igenex. Band 41, as you said, represents flagella. The flagella is the tail of the bacteria and many bacteria have a flagella. This is how Borrelia burgdorferi (the Lyme bacteria) moves around, by moving the flagella. Band 41 is the most common borreliosis (i.e., Lyme Disease) antibody.

I'm not sure entirely why there is disagreement about the importance of this Band. I know that some of it involves politics going all the way to the 1970's when testing was first being established. As far as scientific reasons, I'm not sure why there is disagreement.

I'm going to refer you to a thread on a Lyme support group bulletin board. I'd post the contents of it here for you except it's a little long. It is called "Dr. C's Western Blot Explanation." Dr. C is a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor. There is also other information in this thread that might be useful to you.

http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=042077

There are many reasons why a person will get a false negative on Lyme blood tests. False negative meaning that they are still infected with Lyme Disease but aren't getting positive results on bloodwork. I've posted some of the reasons that are already known in the Lyme Disease section forum. I got this information from the Lyme Disease Foundation. I'll paste those reasons below as well.

Given how you've been feeling, I would really try to get the Igenex test done whenever you are able. Knowing what I now know, I'd also try to get evaluated by an LLMD. Many, many times a Lyme diagnosis ends up having to be a clinical diagnosis based on signs, symptoms, history and sometimes responses to trial treatments. Testing for Lyme right now is just so problematic.

I also just wanted to mention that Epstein Barr Virus as well as the Hep B you mentioned are known to re-activate when a Lyme infection is present. In fact, Lyme and it's Lyme Co-Infections can reactivate all kinds of previously dormant viruses in the body. The immune system just gets so overwhelmed and altered from the Lyme that the body has difficulty keeping everything at bay.

Most people with Lyme disease that has not been diagnosed early, end up with other infections as well. Some may have been previously dormant in the body, as I said. Others may be new -- they may be infections from pathogens that healthy people would be able to fend off. Some of those infections are things like Mycoplasmas, Chlamydia Pneumonia, viruses like EBV, Herpes viruses, HHV-6 -- to name a few.

The good LLMD's have had to become rather familiar with these other infections. Those doctors are generally better then a non-LLMD in navigating the quagmire and finding appropriate treatments.

Hope this helps!!

SomedaySoon



Here are some of the reasons for testing negative on Lyme bloodtests.

Lyme Disease (as well as other co-infections that are commonly seen a long with a Lyme Infection), can sometimes be very difficult to diagnose via blood testing alone. While blood testing should be included in making a diagnosis of Lyme Disease, frequently other diagnostic criteria need to be utilized clinically.

There are many reasons that a patient would be seronegative (i.e., test negative) on the tests. Listed below are nine reasons:


Nine Reasons for False Negative Lyme Disease Blood Tests


The Lyme Disease Foundation (LDF), in their brochure entitled "LDF Frequently Asked Questions About Lyme Disease" lists the following nine reasons for false negative Lyme disease test results:

(NOTE: The standard tests for Lyme Disease do not look for the bacteria, but rather the immune system's response to the bacteria. The ELISA and Western Blot both test for antibodies which is what the immune system produces when infection is present. Because the tests look for this indirect measure of infection, false negatives are not uncommon.)

A. Antibodies against Bb are present, but the laboratory is unable to detect them. [Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is the Lyme disease bacteria.]

B. Antibodies against Bb may not be present in detectable levels in patients with Lyme disease. Reasons are listed below.

1. The patient is currently on, or has recently taken, antibiotics. The antibacterial effect of antibiotics can reduce the body's production of antibodies.

2. The patient is currently on or has previously taken anti-inflammatory steroidal drugs (such as those taken to treat rheumatoid arthritis) or certain anticancer drugs. These can suppress a person's immune system, thus reducing or preventing an antibody response.

3. The patient's antibodies may be bound with the bacteria with not enough free antibodies available for testing. [I think this reason is very important and prevalent. For this reason, some of the worst cases of Lyme disease test negative - too much bacteria for the immune system to handle.]

4. The patient could be immunosuppressed for a number of other reasons and the immune system is not reacting to the bacterium.

5. The bacterium has changed its makeup (antigenic shift) limiting recognition by the patient's immune system.

6. The patient's immune response has not been stimulated to produce antibodies, i.e., the blood test is taken too soon after the tick-bite (2-6 weeks). Please do not interpret this statement as implying that you should wait for a positive test to begin treatment.

7. The laboratory has raised its cutoff so high that a patient's previously positive test is now borderline or negative.

8. The patient is reacting to the Lyme bacterium, but is not producing the "right" bands to be considered positive.


Lyme Disease Foundation
1 Financial Plaza
Hartford, CT 06103
(860)525-2000
fax (860)525-TICK
Lyme Disease National Hotline (800)886-LYME
email: mailto:lymefnd@aol.com