New approaches may help solve the Lyme disease diagnosis dilemma

www.sciencenews.org/article/ticks-lyme-disease-testing-new-approaches

 

A couple of quick observations:

We are in dire need of accurate Lyme diagnostics for the 1st 30 days following a bite. Since it takes roughly that long to galavanize our immune response to Lyme, the more direct the testing is, the better. Accordingly, these efforts are important for that neglected population.

Most of this article is directed at acute diagnostics, and in a way, that is good and to be expected.

However, there is also a gaping hole for direct diagnostics addressing early disseminated and late stage cases. If you look at the historical efforts of the NIH, late stage does not command much of their attention. Late stage is where controversy is alive and thriving, so one might imagine this would get appropriate attention. It does not.

One reason it does not is that it is a tough egg to crack, just as syphilis was, and not much in the way of resources are being directed there.

Another reason, imo, is vested inertia. There are big $'s in the indirect testing market. Perhaps more to the point, if a reliable direct diagnostic does appear for late stage, what happens if it swings unfavorably for the entrenched interests?