Lyme Disease Test
Antibody Tests, Lyme Disease, PCR Test, Lyme Disease, Skin Culture, Lyme Disease
What To Think About
- It may be difficult to tell if you have Lyme disease. False-positive and false-negative Lyme disease test results are common. Many people do not make antibodies to Lyme disease bacteria for up to 8 weeks after being infected.
- When an ELISA test is positive, a Western blot test is usually done to confirm the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
- Doctors often do not rely on test results alone when recommending treatment for a person who may have Lyme disease. Treatment is often based on a person's symptoms, the time of year, having a tick bite, and other risk factors for Lyme disease.
- Finding antibodies to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease does not always mean that an active Lyme disease infection is causing your symptoms. It only means that you were infected at one time.
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| Author: | Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC | Last Updated: November 6, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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| Topic Contents | |
| Test Overview | |
| Why It Is Done | |
| How To Prepare | |
| How It Is Done | |
| How It Feels | |
| Risks | |
| Results | |
| What Affects the Test | |
 | What To Think About |
| References | |
| Credits | |