As tick season begins, a new study suggests that commonly used tests for Lyme disease are missing most early cases.
A study published in Journal of Clinical Microbiologyevaluated data from 107 people with early Lyme disease. The researchers compared two FDA-cleared diagnostic methods that rely on antibody detection, including an approach that has been used for decades and a slightly modified version.
In both methods, the tests missed 64 to 78 percent of early cases, including those with Lyme disease.
Overall, only 39 percent tested positive through any method.
Although the new version performed slightly better, according to the results it lost many early cases.
Researchers say accuracy is limited in the first one to two weeks of infection, when antibodies are not yet detectable.
The lead author says these findings “add to the argument that improved diagnostics, ideally ones that directly detect the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, are needed.”
Early diagnosis is important because delayed detection can cause the infection to spread, causing more serious problems affecting the joints, heart and nervous system.
Source: Journal of Clinical Microbiology
Author affiliation: Bay Area Lyme FoundationLyme Disease Biobank
