It is imperative that nurse practitioners be familiar with signs and symptoms of the disease, interpretation of test results, and recommended treatment options. They must also understand the current evidence-ba
Test sequenceInterpretationComments Tier 1Tier 2 Total IgG IgM immunoblot IgG immunoblot Negative N/A N/A No antibodies to B. burgdorferi Negative results can occur in those who have recently been infected (repeat testing recommended as indicated clinically). Positive/equivocal Negative Negative Antibod...
Because interpretation of testing is related to stage of disease and requires a two-stage test, laboratory results are often misinterpreted. Clinicians unfamiliar with Lyme disease or Lyme testing may falsely exclude the diagnosis by testing too early in the disease course, or falsely diagnose disease...
testing methods vary in accuracy, the need for treatment should not be based on these test results, and tick testing results do not necessarily predict if the person bitten will get Lyme disease. Even if an attached tick tested "negative", other undetected ticks may have attached to a perso...
Current guidelines for interpretation of two-tier testing recommend that patients with a negative ELISA test be considered negative with no further testing required. Patients with positive or equivocal first-tier ELISA testing should have a Western blot test performed. A negative Western blot test supe...
Recommendations for test performance and interpretation from the Second National Conference on Serologic Diagnosis of Lyme Disease. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly Rep. 44, 590–591 (1995). Google Scholar Hauser, U., Lehnert, G. & Wilske, B. Validity of interpretation criteria for standardized western...
A more liberal interpretation of the test results, consistent with analysis by most Lyme docs, indicated 9 had antibodies to Lyme. Antibodies to Bartonella were detected in 3, and borderline positive in a fourth. Antibodies to TBRF were detected in 4 subjects, and borderl...
(index test; Reagena, Toivala, Finland), can help in the analysis of the results to avoid subjective interpretations by the user, which is a major drawback of these assays. For this device, a recent study determined sensitivity and specificity between 83 and 91% respectively [71]. However...
These atypical features may provide a clue, however attention to presentations, detailed history taking, and correct interpretation of lab values are paramount for making the correct diag- nosis and preventing future implications. Additionally, our results indicate that these patients respond well to ...
Second, no patient with a negative serologic test at the PML was examined in consultation. Third, the surveys made on IDS presented multiple potential bias, since: Finally, the interpretation of serologic test results for Lyme disease is complex: ELISA are rather well standardized and automated, ...