LLMD MR: “Igenex offers the best tests ”

This appears to be the accompanying blog and video:

https://www.treatlyme.net/guide/best-lyme-bartonella-babesia-tests

I watched it last night and then looked at the Igenex price sheet for testing. There’s so many options on there, that it’s totally overwhelming and confusing. They have all kinds of combination panels. How come nobody orders those?

Has anyone had any coinfection testing from Igenex that came back positive? Which specific tests?

On Bartonella Babe’s interview with Marna, Marna talked about skin biopsies. Sounded like if you have bart, there will be evidence in a skin biopsy but it doesn’t have to be taken from any lesions or striae. However, I think I remember now it may not have been a test looking for bartonella but for something else in the vascular system. Has anyone had this test?

its interesting that MR is not convinced by the ePCR from Galaxy

galaxy did publish a study supporting the sensitivity of the ePCR - claiming 49% for bartonella via the 3 draw ePCR method - which seems low given the efforts they have gone to.
but then in presentations their scientists say that they think its much higher than that,
but do not express it in terms of % sensitivity - and so it begs the question why then only claim 49% in the paper if there is good evidence its much better than that?

i think part of it may come down to what gold standard do you use as he 100% confirmed infected and 100% confirmed not infected samples to validate the tests false positive and false negatives against,
and this is where it gets frustrating to me -

as despite the research Galaxy did on the ePCR sensitivity being paid for by funds from the NIH -i.e. public money - the results are not made fully public. only selected abstracts are published.

so its not possible for us lay people ( ie the people with the greatest vested interest and also who will be the ones supporting galaxy labs sales / profits )- to fully interpret the 49% sensitivity claim - or whether that is conservative or optimistic

while i think the science they are doing is 1st rate - this practice or restricting data is a poor show - in my opinion.

Post Edited (Garzie) : 12/8/2021 4:14:26 AM (GMT-7)

IgeneX offers PCR which can confirm active infection, but getting a sample w/ the infection in it is low probability. Thats why Galaxy does the triple draw i believe. T-lab looks for it in the skin.

Supposedly IgeneX immunoblot is decent as far as antibody tests go, but that doesnt necessarily 100% confirm active infection even w/ an IgM, as its just an antibody. But IgM+IgG pretty good indicator. Just sent out for the TBD6I yesterday, the big panel. Expensive but sick of not knowing and this was my one shot at IgeneX, not having it run again.

Would consider Galaxy if i had a provider who ran it.

Yep. Pretty much.

As with all serology based tests its a matter of interpretation.

Lower levels of antibodies and especially if IgG only are present tend to be associated with past infection.

Higher levels of antibodies and especially IgM antibodies are associated with current infection.

There are some provisos though.

Lyme in particular messes with those rules.
Mainly because it continually changes its outer surface proteins.

But all chronic infections mess with the bodies ability to make the expected antibodies.

So often expected antibody responses are missing and false negatives result.

But if the responses are there then the results are valid and useful.

The immunoblots and western blots are a bit better in this respect as the dont rely on a single antibody but a panel of many of them so you have a lot more chances.