Each antibody shape is predetermined, and can be produced by only one type of lymphocyte. It is now thought that each person has a finite collection of specialized lymphocytes that are able to create a finite number of antibodies. If this were true, we would have almost unlimited immunity. Note: It was once thought that plasma cells could produce antibodies that could conform to any shape necessary to attack foreign intruders.
Western blot vs elisa equine lyme series#
Or, it can kill the bacteria directly by evoking compliment, a series of enzymes and proteins that will dissolve the intruder. The IgG antibody can kill bacteria indirectly by tagging or marking the foreign invaders for destruction by the killer cells (T-cells, macrophage). It attacks viruses, bacteria, yeast, toxins, and transplants. This antibody remains the longest and is the foot soldier of the immune system. However, a fetus exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi early in the pregnancy may never make an antibody response to the Lyme bacteria because the baby's immune system doesn't recognize it as foreign. Since it cannot enter the fetus from the mother, any newborn that starts to make IgM antibodies against Lyme disease must be infected. Because of its size, this immunoglobulin does not cross the placenta. It is six times larger than the IgG antibody. This is the earliest of the antibodies to appear in response to an infection. Therefore, a physician must specify whether or not a patient should have an IgM or IgG Western Blot, or an IgM or IgG ELISA test. It does mean the mother has had exposure, and the child must be carefully monitored for signs of the disease.īecause of the difference in the two antibodies, two separate tests are available to test for their presence. An IgG antibody titer in a newborn does not have to mean active infection. This antibody crosses the placenta, so an infected mother can pass this antibody to her child. This antibody takes four to eight weeks to form, and is gone in less than twelve months. The second antibody we make after the IgM is the IgG antibody. In general, a Lyme patient who consistently has detectable IgM levels is usually chronically ill, but its absence is not a reliable indicator of cure. If infection persists, this antibody may also persist. The IgM antibody will only stay in circulation for about six months, and then levels are usually too low to detect.
It is at its peak of production four weeks after exposure to an antigen. This large antibody takes two to four weeks to be made in quantities large enough to be consistently measured. The first antibody our body makes in response to a foreign invader is usually immunoglobulin type M, abbreviated as IgM. Stealth technology isn't new, it evolved millions of years ago by the first bacteria that evaded its host's defenses. So, no antibodies are produced, resulting in negative tests. Third, the Lyme spirochete can hide in the human body, and fool the immune system into thinking it isn't there. So, while the first problem with Lyme disease tests is in the way they are promoted, the second problem is the way the tests are primed to recognize laboratory strains of Bb, rather than wild types. The truth is that no Lyme disease test to date is close to 100% accurate, because each test has its own particular set of shortcomings. In any of this, did you hear the words: "percent reliability" or "percent accuracy" in diagnosing Lyme disease in humans? No! People often mistake "false positive rate" for accuracy. In reality, what it is saying is if you have 1000 test samples from the same known laboratory sample, then in less than ten samples will there be a result that differs significantly from the other 990. This sounds like the test is more than 99% accurate. Often the terminology is confusing and the customer frequently misinterprets what is really being said.įor example, a salesman may say the rate of false positive or false negative is less than one percent. At every medical convention, I listen to sales pitch after sales pitch from sales people making their product sound infallible. The first problem is that most of the manufacturers of these tests want you to believe that their tests are the best. There is a great deal of confusion and controversy surrounding Lyme disease testing. Silver Stain Gold Stain Fluorescent Tagged Monoclonal Antibody Stains Acrodine Orange Gram Stain Muramidase etc. PCR (DNA amplification) Lyme Urine Antigen Test (LUAT) Antigen Capture Test culturing of skin, blood, CSF, urine, or tissue immune complex / antigen-antibody test Indirect Tests (serum antibody tests):ĮLISA Western Blot IFA Borreliacidal Antibody Assay (Gunderson test) T-cell Activation Test Three Main Categories of Lyme Disease Tests:ġ.
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