Lyme tests

Hi folks,

I have been being treated for lyme disease for the last two years, and been following guidance listed here (including the sticky posts). I was diagnosed based upon symptoms and response to antibiotics, but had negative western blots.

However, I FINALLY managed to get a copy of the band results from the lab. There were two tests in Nov 2010 and Feb 1011, which both say:

Western blot bands: 41kDa (2 intensity), 33kDa (1 intensity). Result negative.

The letter also said:

"A negative western blot according to our criteria is a total number of bands less than or equal to 4, specific bands less than or equal to 1 with an intensity of 1-4.

I know that band 41 is for the flagellum, specific to that type of bacteria, but than can also show false-positive. But, I can't find out anywhere what the 33kDa band means.

Any thoughts? Will carry on with the treatment regardless...

Thanks

Hi barbaral,

Welcome to the forum! Glad you were able to get a diagnosis and treatment.

You paid for the test so they should have no problem getting a copy of the results to you. Demand a copy. Did you go through a doctor office or clinic? They also should provide you with a copy.

Hi Barbaral!
Welcome to the forum!! I'm so glad that you have found this forum to be helpful!!

It has been accepted that kDa 33 is reactive for OspA (Outer surface protein A) and kDa 34 is reactive for Osp B (Outer surface protein B) of Lyme Disease. So yes, this is very specific for Lyme Disease.

I found this info here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/.../epidinfect00045-0090.pdf in case anyone wants to know!

Of course we would love to know how you are doing as you continue on with your treatments!!

You're welcome!! Glad I could help!

Well, dang it!!! That's not right! Sorry - I promise that the link worked earlier!! Let's see... it's a pdf file, and I've not tried this before, so please bear with me! Okay, wow! am I ever having problems with links tonight! This link may take a minute to load.

This isn't the article that I had wanted to show you, as that one pointed it out really well, but this article will serve the purpose: journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=440D06D5CCE6C5E0095CB704E77CCAA3.
journals?fromPage=online&aid=4711300

In this article they are talking about samples that have been collected from three different sites in Switzerland, but it shows that kDa 33 represents Osp (Outer surface protein) A and kDa 34 is an Osp B - both from the Lyme bacteria.

In their words:"In site 1, most isolates had an OspA of 31 kDa and an OspB of 34 kDa: in site 2, isolates presenting an OspA of 33 kDa dominated."

(please, please, please let this link work!!!)

This is from Scotland 2010:
jcp.bmj.com/content/63/8/719
More specific bands in the IgG western blot in sera from Scottish patients with suspected Lyme borreliosis.
Evans R, Mavin S, McDonagh S, Chatterton JM, Milner R, Ho-Yen DO.
J Clin Pathol. 2010 Jun 30.

More of the text here:
relative-risk.blogspot.com/2010/07/battle-of-bands.html

I was searching for Western Blot images yesterday when I found this:
To see a bar graph of 2010 Scottish bands by kDa, search Google Images for "Six non-specific" and it will be the first result. Click on the small bar graph image, not the link below it. Then click on the "See the full size image" link to see, and study if you so desire, the bar graph.

Traveler

I have an extensive list of North American Western Blot bands with an emphasis on sensitivity but haven't made any real effort to research specificity.

There are contradictions between different studies related to specificity of the bands which I will soon, if I clean up the band data, try to reconcile.