IGeneX, a leading tick-borne disease testing lab based in California, is pleased to announce the availability of the new Broad Coverage Ab (BCA) Assays for Lyme disease and Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever (TBRF). The BCA assays are simple and cost-effective tests that give either a positive or negative result for Borreliae exposure. It is essential to be able to test for each Borreliosis disease, as we now know that the TBRF Borreliae group can also cause Lyme-like symptoms, and the treatments may be different.
The IGeneX IgM and IgG ImmunoBlot tests have long been considered the gold standard in Lyme and TBRF testing but have been out of reach for some patients due to Lyme disease test costs. Thus, IGeneX has introduced more affordable BCA assays, which will help more patients get good quality testing.
“We are thrilled to offer these tests at a price that will make them accessible by patients from additional socio-economic backgrounds,” said Dr. Jyotsna Shah, President and Laboratory Director of IGeneX. “Lyme and TBRF are continuing to spread, and sick patients from all walks of life need to be able to get an accurate diagnosis so they can begin the appropriate treatment.”
Advantages of the Broad Coverage Ab Assays for Lyme disease and TBRF:
- Detect both IgM and IgG antibodies
- Far broader and more inclusive of Borrelia species than standard serologies
- Detects antibodies to Borrelia species and strains from North America, Europe, and Australia
- Better than two-tier ELISA/Western Blot and two-tier ELISA
- Provides a simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-understand positive or negative result
Limitations: Lower sensitivity than ImmunoBlots. Does not provide the stage of the disease like ImmunoBlots.
Recently, the CDC announced that Lyme disease is more common than previously thought, with over 400,000 cases diagnosed each year in the US. That makes annual new Lyme disease cases in this country about four times more common than new cases of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and syphilis combined. In addition, we now know that the TBRF Borreliae group can also cause Lyme-like symptoms.
The Lyme and TBRF BCA Assays are designed to detect antibodies for multiple species and strains of Lyme Borreliae and TBRF Borreliae, respectively, in human serum. Each assay has excellent specificity. A positive test suggests exposure to the Lyme Borreliae group or the TBRF Borreliae group and should be used in conjunction with patient clinical symptoms and history. For specific protein or band information, IgM and IgG ImmunoBlot tests should be ordered to provide more information on the stage of the disease and possible speciation of the Borrelia.
Each Lyme or TBRF BCA assay costs $195 and is available to be ordered through a physician. For a datasheet on the BCA Assays, please go here. For more information on all IGeneX tests, please visit www.igenex.com.
