It can be scary or nerve-wracking if you’ve had a tick bite or are experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease or another tick-borne illness. You can help relieve some of this stress by being proactive about your health and your families’ health by familiarizing yourself with tick-borne diseases – especially if you live in or travel to areas where they’re prevalent.
One of the best ways you can do this is to learn the ins and outs of Lyme and tick-borne disease testing. Common questions include, what sort of methodologies are used for tick-borne disease testing, and what is the best test for Lyme disease? To answer these questions, we’ve broken down some of the most important factors to look at when deciding on a test, and other things to keep in mind when seeking out tick-borne disease testing.
What to look for in a test
Most tick-borne disease tests are indirect tests. This means that they test for antibodies of a certain disease rather than testing for the bacteria that causes the disease. The same is true for Lyme. While this is pretty much the norm, it does not mean the test is necessarily less accurate.
That being said, this method of testing does have implications for the timing of your test. If you test too early or too late, it could mean that you don’t have enough antibodies – or enough of the right type of antibody – to show up on a test, even if an infection is present.
So how do lab tests detect tick-borne diseases? As we mentioned, the most common tick-borne disease tests are indirect tests. Tests aim to detect antibodies to bacteria at either the genus or species level. Within a certain genus of bacteria, there are more specific species and strains. This specificity makes a real difference when it comes to accurate diagnosis and tracking for public health records.
When seeking out testing, it’s important to keep these factors in mind:
Specificity
This refers to the genus and speciation that are being tested. The more specific the test, the less likely it is to miss infections because of testing for the wrong type of bacteria. This is why a test that can detect many specific species or strains of bacteria can be more useful than if it only tests for one.
Sensitivity
A test that is very sensitive will pick up more infections, but it may also have more false positives.
With the exception of the IGenex ImmunoBlot, sensitivity and specificity typically have an inverse relationship. The more specific a test is, the less sensitive it may be, and vice versa. This is one of the reasons it is recommended to get a full test panel – more on that later in this article.
Tick-borne diseases: Which tests to get
The tricky thing with diagnosing Lyme disease and other tick-related infections is that oftentimes the symptoms are nonspecific. So if you’re unsure or don’t know that you’ve been bit by a tick, it can be difficult to get proper testing. This is why it’s so important to know your options and be able to choose the best test for you.
The benefits of panel testing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, currently recommends what is called two-tier testing. In this process, the second test is only recommended if the first test is positive. However, the tests used for this process are not sensitive enough and prone to inaccuracies. This often leaves people with false negatives on the first test and no options for further testing.
This is why we recommend panel testing as the most comprehensive and accurate diagnostic tool.
Why is panel testing best?
Panel testing provides a more comprehensive picture than the two-tiered testing system. That’s because it allows patients and their treating physicians to consider results from multiple tests using different methodologies and with different levels of sensitivity and specificity. In other words, some tests will pick up things other tests miss. This allows for not only more accurate testing but also earlier detection, which is no small advantage: When it comes to tick-borne infections, the earlier you treat, the better.
One important test included in IGeneX’s panels is the ImmunoBlot. With an ImmunoBlot, just one test strip can test for multiple species and strains of bacteria. IGeneX ImmunoBlots have been developed for Lyme disease, Bartonellosis (Cat-Scratch Disease), and Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever (TBRF).
Note that not all blots are created equal – sometimes this name is used to refer to conventional, less accurate methods of testing.
Tick-borne disease testing: Final considerations
There are a few other practices to consider when seeking testing for tick-borne diseases. As we mentioned, traditional two-tier testing can often miss infections, which can mean missing a crucial window for treatment.
The timing of your test may also affect the results. The body produces different types of antibodies at different stages of disease. Another benefit of the ImmunoBlot, which can be used to detect either IgM or IgG antibodies, is that it can catch infection at multiple stages of an illness, meaning you can seek treatment earlier.
Testing yourself is crucial, but it can also be incredibly beneficial if you’re able to submit the tick for testing as well.
Learn more about IGeneX testing
IGeneX is dedicated to better, more accurate tick-borne disease testing. Our Lyme disease tests look for more and detect more, no matter when you were exposed to infection. Learn more about your Lyme testing options with IGeneX today.
