Lyme Disease

 

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is the most common identifiable tick-borne illness. It can be contracted through a tick bite, and both adults and children are at risk of coming into contact with ticks. It is also known as “Lyme disease” (LD, Lyme disease) or “Lyme borreliosis”. The disease is not caused by the tick itself, but by the bacteria within the tick. The bacteria believed to cause Lyme disease is Borrelia burgdorferi, which can exist in various forms such as cysts or spirochetes. Lyme disease can range from mild to debilitating. It is estimated that over 70 species of ticks live in Europe (19 species in Poland and 20 in the UK), with the most common and frequent infection transmitted by the so-called common tick (Ixodes ricinus).

common tick

 

What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?

The symptoms of Lyme disease are very similar to other illnesses, such as flu or a cold. The first and most characteristic symptom indicating Lyme disease is erythema migrans, which appears at the site of the tick bite as a red spot that gradually expands with a central clearing. The incubation period is 3 to 30 days. IgM antibodies can appear as early as the 2nd week of infection, detectable within 2 weeks or a few weeks later. IgG antibodies appear between the 4th and 8th week of infection and can persist in the body for up to 12 months.

 

When do symptoms appear after Lyme disease infection?

There are 3 stages where Lyme disease symptoms can appear days, months, or even years after infection. Each stage is characterized by different symptoms.

1. Early localized stage: 1-8 weeks after infection

2. Early disseminated stage: 3-26 weeks after infection

3. Late stage: 6-12 months or even years after infection

 

Symptoms in the early localized stage:

– Erythema migrans
– Memory and concentration disturbances
– Sweats, chills
– Shortness of breath
– Allergic reactions
– Dizziness
– Enlarged lymph nodes
– Flu-like symptoms (fever, mild fever, general fatigue and weakness, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat)
– Skin lymphoma (red-blue lymphocytic nodule, 1mm to 5mm in diameter, usually appearing on the earlobe, nipple, or scrotum)

 

Symptoms in the early disseminated stage:

– Multiple erythema migrans
– Myocarditis, heart rhythm disturbances, and conduction disorders
– Arthritis, often referred to as the joint form of Lyme disease, with painful and swollen joints, usually affecting one or several large joints in the body
– Cranial nerve inflammation, which can lead to facial muscle paralysis or meningitis

 

Symptoms in the late stage:

– Chronic meningitis and encephalitis
– Peripheral nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy)
– Chronic arthritis (mainly affecting the knee joints)
– Chronic skin inflammation, mainly on the limbs, causing skin to look like tissue paper, with swelling, redness, and hair loss at the site of inflammation

 

Who is most at risk of contracting Lyme disease?

Ticks are very small organisms that are not picky about their host and readily feed on many species of vertebrates, not only humans but also many animals (birds, reptiles, or mammals). The risk of contracting Lyme disease carried by ticks increases in summer with the feeding period. Ticks are active from 7°C. The highest risk of infection is in spring and summer, the most dangerous periods. In Poland, the most common places for human infection are deciduous and mixed forests with dense undergrowth, less often dry pine forests or wetlands and peat bogs. Infected ticks also often occur in parks, gardens, and squares.

 

Who should be tested for Lyme disease?

All individuals exposed to a tick bite and who have been in areas particularly infested with ticks, and who exhibit symptoms indicative of Lyme disease after a bite, or when there is a suspicion of a past tick bite, should undergo laboratory testing.

 

What to do after a tick bite?

The tick should be mechanically removed from the skin as soon as possible; removing it within 24 hours of the bite reduces the risk of infection! It is important to remove the tick correctly; do not squeeze it or apply substances to it, but grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull it out with a single, steady motion without twisting. If you cannot do this yourself, see a doctor immediately.

 

How to diagnose and detect Lyme disease?

There are 3 ways to diagnose Lyme disease:

– Detailed history of tick bite
– Symptoms
– Laboratory tests

 

What laboratory tests should be performed to detect the disease?

The basic laboratory test is blood diagnostics, measuring antibodies against Borrelia in the IgM and IgG classes.

Laboratory diagnostics of Lyme disease should be conducted in 2 stages:

Stage one – ELISA test in IgG and IgM classes

Stage two – Western Blot test in IgM and IgG classes

ELISA test:
The primary initial test for detecting Lyme disease is the ELISA test. A positive ELISA test result leads to performing a Western Blot test.

We recommend:

• Borrelia EliSpot 2 – next-generation test for Lyme disease. This test does not detect antibodies like ELISA and Western Blot tests but examines lymphocyte reactions. The test is highly reliable, as it contains 6 antigens instead of just 3 like cheaper, popular tests. Recommended when Lyme disease is suspected and traditional tests are negative. Price: £250
• BORRELIA LTT – next-generation tests performed in difficult diagnostic cases. Recommended for patients with negative serological test results. Price: £199
  

Western Blot test:
This test is more precise and sensitive than the ELISA test, but it is not recommended as a first-line test, only if the ELISA test is positive.

We recommend:

• Borrelia IgM or IgG (Western Blot) – a more precise and sensitive test than ELISA. Performed secondarily when the ELISA test is positive or doubtful. Price: £49 

 

When can blood tests be performed?

Blood tests for Lyme disease are not performed at any time. It is recommended to perform tests if infection is suspected and if significant symptoms occur after a tick bite, excluding erythema. Testing immediately after a tick bite may give a false negative result, so doctors recommend starting initial diagnostics around the 4th-6th week after tick contact. IgM antibodies appear first, so the first test should be an IgM test for Lyme disease 4-6 weeks after the bite or prophylactically after the season.

 

 

Lyme Disease – Our Testing Offer

Borrelia IgM (ELISA)- this is the oldest test for detecting Lyme disease. It is a screening test with high sensitivity, aimed at providing a true negative result for Lyme disease and selecting patients for further diagnostics with the Western Blot test if their ELISA test is positive or doubtful. All positive or doubtful ELISA results must be confirmed with the Western Blot test. The IgM class assesses the acute infection phase in real-time (current infection).

 

Borrelia IgG (ELISA) – this is the oldest test for detecting Lyme disease. It is a screening test with high sensitivity, aimed at providing a true negative result for Lyme disease and selecting patients for further diagnostics with the Western Blot test if their ELISA test is positive or doubtful. All positive or doubtful ELISA results must be confirmed with the Western Blot test. The IgG class assesses the past infection phase.

 

Borrelia IgM (Western Blot) – a classical Western Blot test for detecting antibodies that the body produces against the bacteria causing Lyme disease. Antigens are present on the surface of the bacteria, and the body produces antibodies against them. The Western Blot test is performed secondarily when the ELISA test is positive or doubtful. The IgM class test is used to assess the acute infection phase in real-time (current infection). IgG antibodies appear within 2 weeks of infection.

 

Borrelia IgG (Western Blot) – a classical Western Blot test for detecting antibodies that the body produces against the bacteria causing Lyme disease. Antigens are present on the surface of the bacteria, and the body produces antibodies against them. The Western Blot test is performed secondarily when the ELISA test is positive or doubtful. The IgG class test is used to assess the past infection phase. IgG antibodies appear within 1-2 months of infection, usually a few weeks later than the IgM class.

 

Borrelia IgA (Western Blot) – a classical Western Blot test for detecting antibodies that the body produces against the bacteria causing Lyme disease. Antigens are present on the surface of the bacteria, and the body produces antibodies against them. The Western Blot test is performed secondarily when the ELISA test is positive or doubtful. The IgM class test is used to assess the acute infection phase in real-time (current infection). IgG antibodies appear within 2 weeks of infection.

 

Borrelia IgG (Western Blot) with strip color evaluation – this test detects antibodies for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. antigens in the IgG class and is performed using the traditional Western Blot method. This test is recommended as a standard laboratory diagnostic for Lyme disease. The IgG class test checks for the presence of antibodies and provides an image of chronic or past infection. The result is additionally issued graphically, showing the intensity of the reaction with the Lyme spirochete antigens.

 

Borrelia IgM (Western Blot) with strip color evaluation – this test detects antibodies for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. antigens in the IgM class and is performed using the traditional Western Blot method. This test is recommended as a standard laboratory diagnostic for Lyme disease. The IgM class test checks for the presence of antibodies and provides an image of current infection. The result is additionally issued graphically, showing the intensity of the reaction with the Lyme spirochete antigens.

 

EliSpot 2 Borrelia – this is a next-generation test with high reliability, allowing us to determine if there is an active infection in the body, whether we have been infected with Lyme disease, and traditional tests are negative. This test does not detect antibodies like traditional ELISA or Western Blot tests but examines lymphocyte reactions to contact with Borrelia antigens. The traditional EliSpot test uses 3 antigens, while the EliSpot 2 Borrelia test uses 6 antigens, of which 5 are specific to Lyme spirochetes.

 

EliSpot Borrelia miyamotoi – this test detects Borrelia miyamotoi pathogens transmitted by ticks in the northern hemisphere, causing relapsing fever. The traditional ELISA and Western Blot tests do not detect this pathogen. Borrelia miyamotoi infection is characterized by symptoms of encephalitis, meningitis, and cranial nerve involvement, as well as chills, fatigue, fever, nausea, or vomiting.

 

(KKI) anti-Borrelia burgdorferi IgG (KKI Borrelia IgG) – this test checks circulating immune complexes using the Western Blot method, supplementing Lyme disease diagnostics. The presence of KKI is considered an active infection. KKI testing should be performed by individuals who did not obtain clear results in the standard Western Blot or ELISA tests.

 

(KKI) anti-Borrelia burgdorferi IgM (KKI Borrelia IgM) – this test checks circulating immune complexes using the Western Blot method, supplementing Lyme disease diagnostics. The presence of KKI is considered an active infection. KKI testing should be performed by individuals who did not obtain clear results in the standard Western Blot or ELISA tests.

 

(KKI) anti-Borrelia burgdorferi IgG avidity (KKI Borrelia IgG) – this test checks circulating immune complexes using the Western Blot method, supplementing Lyme disease diagnostics. The presence of KKI is considered an active infection. KKI testing should be performed by individuals who did not obtain clear results in the standard Western Blot or ELISA tests. The avidity test must be performed together with the B6-KKI anti-Borrelia burgdorferi IgG test!

 

FULL PRICE LIST OF LABORATORY TESTS IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://corbypmc.com/cennik-laboratorium/