Lyme Immunoblot Test Sold by IGeneX Now FDA-Cleared

https://igenex.com/press-release/lyme-immunoblot-receives-fda-clearance/

 

Looks like ImmuneBlot replaces the Western blot which is blurry and difficult to interpret and leaves patients with a questionable dx.
Certainly a big improvement for patients

 

I had the vague feeling immunoblot and western blot were pretty much the same thing, or at least employed the same process. I could be wrong. IGeneX, as usual, simply allows for more bands than conventional testing, including OspC and OspA.

Unfortunately, dx will remain questionable despite what I feel is a laudable move. Adding bands still is indirect testing, and only strongly indicates past exposure. Regardless, if you've active Lyme after roughly 30 days, you SHOULD test IgG positive (vs IgM), and that probability increases the longer you remain infected - at least in theory. With Bb, however, one may never test positive, or you can test positive intermittently.

Politically, this is a step forward. Bands 31 and 34 historically are characteristic of late stage Lyme; many believe they belong in a post-acute diagnostic.

We still need reliable and validated direct testing to emerge from the trenches of the Lyme wars.

 

@duncan I was referring to this

https://igenex.com/wp-content/uploads/western-blots-vs-immunoblots-igenex.pdf

 

Very cool. Can you tell that I - although a fan of IGeneX - have never used any of its products?

I like that they test for more than one strain, and for several species. As I recall, the NIH used to refuse to test for anything other than Bb sensu stricto. This made no sense to me - how do you know what species are infecting your cohort if you're not looking for them? Always struck me as parochial and restrictive.