How much is an analysis for tick-borne encephalitis. Tests for borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis: indications, research methods and interpretation of the results

Date: 22.10.2020

The study is aimed at identifying antigens and genetic material of pathogens of tick-borne encephalitis and systemic tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease) in the studied ticks. It is used for timely diagnosis of diseases, emergency specific prevention and targeted pathogenetic treatment.

What tests are included in this complex:

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), antigen
Ixodid tick-borne borreliosis (ITB), RNA determination

Russian synonyms

ixodid tick; tick-borne encephalitis; tick-borne encephalitis virus; systemic tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease), tick-borne meningopolyneuritis, tick-borne borreliosis, ixodid borreliosis, chronic migratory erythema, erythemal spirochetosis, Bannowart's syndrome.

SynonymsEnglish

Ixode tick; tick-borne encephalitis; tick-borne encephalitis virus; tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme borreliosis); Borrelia burgdorferi.

Research method

Linked immunosorbent assay: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), antigen
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): Ixodid tick-borne borreliosis (ITB), RNA determination

What biomaterial can be used for research?

General information about the study:

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral natural focal transmissible disease characterized by a predominant lesion of the central nervous system. The causative agent of the disease is an RNA-containing virus belonging to the Flavivirus genus of the Togaviridae family, the Arboviruses group. . The infection is seasonal (spring-summer) in nature and is transmitted mainly with the bite of ticks, when crushing an invading insect, an alimentary route of transmission through infected raw milk of cows and goats is also possible. The main reservoir and carrier of the virus are ticks Ixodes persulcatus, Ixodes ricinus. An additional reservoir of the virus are rodents, wild animals and birds. Tick infestation occurs through the bite and blood-sucking of infected animals. In this case, the virus penetrates into the organs and tissues of the tick, mainly into the salivary apparatus, intestines, reproductive apparatus, and persists throughout the entire period of the life of insects. The causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis is divided into three subspecies: Far Eastern, Central European and Siberian.

The incubation period of the disease lasts from 3 to 21 days, on average 10-14 days. Clinical manifestations are varied. The initial phase of the disease is characterized by fever, headache, myalgia, possibly accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and photophobia. Next, the phase of neurological disorders develops, in which the central and peripheral nervous systems are affected. Depending on the severity of neurological disorders, the following forms of the disease are distinguished: febrile, meningeal, meningoencephalitic, meningoencephalopoliomyelitis and polyradiculoneuritis, two-wave meningoencephalitis. In terms of severity, the infection can proceed in a mild, moderate or severe form, which affects the duration of the disease, the severity of clinical symptoms and outcomes of the disease. In the final phase of the disease, there may be recovery with the extinction of neurological symptoms, chronicity of the pathological process, or death of patients. Perhaps a long latent virus carrier, persistence or a chronic form of infection.

Systemic tick-borne borreliosis, or Lyme disease, is a natural focal vector-borne disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi of the Spirochaetaceae family. Infection of a person can occur after the bites of ixodid ticks, inoculation of borrelia with tick saliva, when crushing an invading insect, and transplacental transmission of the pathogen from mother to fetus is also possible. The main "reservoir" and carrier of the virus are ticks Ixodes persulcatus, Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes scapularis. Most often, infection occurs in the spring-summer period of tick activity.

The incubation period of the disease can last from 3 to 32 days, according to some authors up to 60 days. Tick-borne borreliosis has a variety of clinical manifestations. In the first phase of the disease, the phase of local infection, fever, intoxication, headaches, widespread "migratory" erythema at the site of contact of the tick with the patient's skin, and regional lymphadenitis are noted. In the phase of hematogenous and lymphogenous dissemination of Borrelia, damage to organs and systems is noted with the development of a diverse clinical picture of the disease. Damage to the musculoskeletal, nervous, cardiovascular systems, eyes, liver, kidneys, and skin is noted. At the same time, a clinical picture of neuritis, radiculitis, encephalitis, arthritis, conjunctivitis, myocarditis develops, a rash appears outside the site of the tick bite. With the progression of the disease, its complication and untimely application of treatment, the following processes may develop: neurological disorders in the form of meningitis, meningoencephalitis, encephalitis and encephalomyelitis, severe heart damage, recurrent and / or chronic arthritis. It is possible to develop a continuous or recurrent course of the disease, chronic forms of damage to the nervous system.

Due to the fact that the main "reservoir" and carrier of tick-borne encephalitis and systemic tick-borne borreliosis are ixodid ticks, direct examination of ticks is used in laboratory diagnostics and identification of pathogens of these diseases. It is possible to examine specimens of ticks from natural foci of their distribution in order to identify the presence of pathogens, determine the percentage of infected ticks in the surveyed areas, and the quantitative content of the virus in case of tick-borne encephalitis. It is necessary to study individual specimens of ticks when they bite a person, inoculate a virus or borrelia with tick saliva, or crush an invading insect. This is important for determining possible tick infection, timely diagnosis of diseases, emergency specific prevention and targeted pathogenetic treatment.

Modern methods for diagnosing pathogens include methods of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). They allow you to determine the pathogen antigen even in the minimum volume of the studied biomaterial, are characterized by the speed of obtaining results and have high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. A feature of the PCR method is the ability to detect genetic material even with its low content in the biological material under study. These methods allow in the shortest possible time to determine the presence or absence of infection of ticks with tick-borne encephalitis virus and / or the causative agent of tick-borne borreliosis. But with negative test results and the persistence of suspicion of diseases, as well as with the development of clinical symptoms, a blood test of patients is recommended. In this case, it is possible to determine antibodies of the IgM and / or IgG classes to the antigens of pathogens, as well as to identify the genetic material of pathogens by PCR.

What is research used for?

For complex laboratory diagnostics of tick-borne encephalitis and / or systemic tick-borne borreliosis;
to determine the infection of the studied ticks;
to determine the content of antigens and genetic material of pathogens of tick-borne encephalitis and / or systemic tick-borne borreliosis in the studied ticks;
to determine the possible infection of the tick for the purpose of timely diagnosis of diseases, emergency specific prevention and targeted pathogenetic treatment;
to determine the presence and percentage of infection of ticks in the study area in natural foci and during the season of insect distribution.

When is the study scheduled?

When examining a tick after a human bite, crushing an intruding insect, extracting a tick, including in a specialized hospital;
when examining a tick in order to diagnose antigens and genetic material of pathogens of tick-borne encephalitis and / or systemic tick-borne borreliosis;
when examining ticks in order to determine the presence and percentage of infection of ticks in the study area in natural foci and during the season of insect distribution.

What do the results mean?

Reference values: negative.

Reasons for a positive result:

infection of the examined tick with tick-borne encephalitis virus;
infection of the studied tick with the causative agent of systemic tick-borne borreliosis;
infection of the examined tick with tick-borne encephalitis virus and systemic tick-borne borreliosis.

Reasons for a negative result:

absence of infection of the studied tick with the virus of tick-borne encephalitis and/or systemic tick-borne borreliosis;
the content of the pathogen in the test material is below the detection level;
false negative results.

Important Notes

If you suspect the presence of tick-borne encephalitis and / or systemic tick-borne borreliosis, but with negative test results, a blood test of patients is recommended. In this case, it is possible to determine antibodies of the IgM and / or IgG classes to the antigens of pathogens, as well as to identify the genetic material of pathogens by PCR.

Who orders the study?

Clinical blood test: general analysis, leukocyte formula, ESR (with microscopy of a blood smear when pathological changes are detected)

Tick-borne encephalitis virus, IgM

Tick-borne encephalitis virus, IgG

Tick-borne encephalitis virus, antigen (in cerebrospinal fluid)

Total protein in liquor

Glucose in cerebrospinal fluid

Borrelia burgdorferi, IgM, titer

Borrelia burgdorferi, IgG, titer

Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., DNA [PCR]

Serological diagnosis of tick-borne borreliosis and encephalitis

Literature

1. Wang G, Liveris D, Brei B, Wu H, Falco RC, Fish D, Schwartz I. Real-time PCR for simultaneous detection and quantification of Borrelia burgdorferi in field-collected Ixodes scapularis ticks from the Northeastern United States / Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Aug;69(8):4561-5.

2. Pancewicz SA, Garlicki AM, Moniuszko-Malinowska A, Zajkowska J, Kondrusik M, Grygorczuk S, Czupryna P, Dunaj J Diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases recommendations of the Polish Society of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases. Polish Society of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases / Przegl Epidemiol. // 2015;69(2):309-16, 421-8.

3. Virological study of individual specimens of ixodid ticks using microanalysis methods. Guidelines.

4. Tkachev S. E., Livanova N. N., Livanov S. G. Study of the genetic diversity of the tick-borne encephalitis virus of the Siberian genetic type, identified in ticks Ixodes persulcatus in the Northern Urals in 2006 / Siberian Scientific Medical Journal, No. 4 (126 ) – 2007.

5. Pokrovsky V.I., Tvorogova M.G., Shipulin G.A. Laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases. Directory / M. : BINOM. – 2013.

6. Shuvalova E.P. Infectious diseases / M.: Medicine. - 2005. - 696 p.

The danger of getting a tick bite lies in wait for a person everywhere - when going for mushrooms in the forest, walking in the park, traveling to the country. Being on the branches of trees and in the grass, they can get on a person, and he may not even know about it for some time.

Ticks are not as harmless as many other insects, so everyone should be aware of the serious diseases that they carry. These include:

Tick-borne encephalitis is a natural focal infection of a viral nature, which is characterized by fever, poisoning of the whole organism and damage to the gray matter of the brain. Initially, for several days, the disease can be completely asymptomatic. Only by 3-4 weeks the temperature rises, nausea and loss of appetite, severe headaches, convulsions and even paresis of the limbs, coma. If you do not provide qualified medical care, everything can end in death.
Borreliosis (or Lyme disease) is the most common infection transmitted by ticks. The disease affects the central nervous system, joints, skin and heart muscle. Often, in almost 50% of cases, it becomes chronic. .
Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever is a serious disease spread by ticks, resulting in intoxication of the body and bleeding.
Omsk hemorrhagic fever is a viral focal disease with fever, damage to the respiratory organs and hemorrhagic syndrome.
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome - to other signs, severe kidney damage is added, and even the development of acute renal failure.

For security reasons, you must not:

take a tick with unprotected hands - if it is contagious, you can also become infected through cracks in the skin;
pick a wound with a tick with sharp objects;
make sudden movements when extracting, squeeze the tick;
you should fill the wound and smear it, cauterize the stuck tick in the hope that it will come out on its own;
comb the site of injury.

In any case, this is not the time to panic - in 80%, even if the tick was infected, it does not cause human infection. To sweep away all doubts, blood tests are carried out.

There are several analysis methods:

PCR is a polymer chain reaction method that detects the pathogen in the blood or other fluid. The method is able to identify the pathogen, even at its lowest concentration in the blood and in the shortest possible time. It is carried out very quickly - laboratory assistants need only a few hours. Blood is taken from a finger. Among the shortcomings - specific equipment is required, which is not available in every hospital. This analysis is not advisable to use when detecting encephalitis - if there is a positive phase of immunoglobulin M, then it often gives a negative result.
ELISA - enzyme immunoassay detects antibodies to the causative agent of the disease in the blood, first immunoglobulins M, which appears very first after infection. They are the body's primary immune response to foreign antigens. Then immunoglobulins G are detected, they will be present in the blood for a long time, since their main task is to resist the reappearance of foreign antigens. This method is very reliable, which is an indisputable plus. The downside is that blood is taken from a vein, which is not very practical with young children.
Western blotting is similar to ELISA, but has even higher accuracy, especially when establishing borreliosis and in order to separate it from encephalitis - this method is one hundred percent. Unlike ELISA, which detects the total amount of immunoglobulins, this test can even detect antibodies to specific pathogen genes. The result of the analysis is presented in the form of bands on the test strip: positive, negative, doubtful (indeterminate type of strip). It is provided as an add-on. You will have to wait 6 days for the results of such a study. Also, the disadvantages include the high cost of this method, the high probability of uncertain results (especially when it comes to patients with immunodeficiency states) and the need for highly qualified laboratory assistants.
Chemiluminescent immunoassay of MFA for borreliosis. The serum of venous blood is examined. It is this method that gives the most accurate diagnosis, the reliability is over 95%. It is important to carry it out in the period of 2-4 weeks after the bite. The peak of antibodies occurs only after 3 months.
RIF - enzyme immunoassay. Fast and inexpensive, but increasingly losing its relevance and giving way to new methods.
Immunofluorescent blood test is the most affordable of all. Many hospitals provide it. To establish the infection, blood serum, cerebrospinal fluid, joint fluid are used. When a virus is detected, complexes marked with fluoriscin begin to glow when viewed through a special microscope.

G antibody tests are either qualitative (simply yes or no) or quantitative, with numbers of antibodies detected.

Less than 10 units / ml - the absence of the disease or too early terms for its implementation;
10–15 - doubtful;
15 and above is positive. Moreover, this is possible with previously transferred - syphilis, mononucleosis and others. The analysis is repeated after 1-2 weeks.

For antibodies M:

Up to 18 units / ml - negative;
18-22 - doubtful;
More than 22 - positive.

In the infectious diseases hospital they will tell you what tests to take after a tick bite.

The analysis is given to confirm or refute the disease. But this is not done immediately after the bite - such an examination does not carry any necessary information.

When to take a blood test after a tick bite:

The greatest reliability is given by surveys conducted after 10 days - this is if the analysis is done by PCR.
If the ELISA method is used, then blood is donated only after 4–5 weeks.

Antibodies M and G in the blood appear only after 2-4 weeks. The material must be taken exactly on time, because, for example, borreliosis does not appear in the blood immediately. If you do not comply with the deadlines, then a false negative result is likely.

Blood must be taken twice for latent infections. The first - in the period established by the disease, and the second a month after the first. And both times the same method should be used. A second test is not done if the first one is positive.

How much is the analysis of the tick itself

Equally important is the study of the bitten tick itself. As already mentioned, it is not stored in the bank for more than 24 hours from the moment of extraction. For microscopic examination, it must be a living insect.

It is a completely different matter with PCR - it is also suitable for the dead, even some part is enough and it will be suitable for 3 days. When a tick is delivered to the laboratory, it should be said separately that it should be examined simultaneously for all possible infections.

How much tick analysis is done depends on the laboratory and equipment. Most often, such an analysis is done 3 days. In private clinics, it is possible to complete the study in 12 hours. You can store the tick at a temperature of strictly +5 degrees for two days.

How many days after the bite should I donate blood

To detect borreliosis, it is very important to monitor the dynamics of blood tests. The analysis is taken twice: the first time is required 10 days after the bite, and the second - 2-3 weeks after. Repeated analysis is necessary to determine the effectiveness of treatment. Laboratory detection of the borreliosis virus is carried out in the following cases:

when a tick is on the body, and even more so - several;
when the bite took place in an epidemic zone;
if it is found that the tick is a carrier of the virus;
when the patient has symptoms of the disease;
to differentiate one disease from others with similar symptoms (for example, meningitis);
in order to determine how effective the prescribed treatment was;
in order to confirm the diagnosis.

Blood sampling is taken from a vein, in the morning on an empty stomach. It is advisable not to smoke at least an hour before the analysis.

Returning to the question of what tests are taken when a tick bites, it is important to remember one thing: sometimes, though very rarely, borreliosis and encephalitis can develop simultaneously, so you need to take everything at the same time.

Populations of these insects live in any climatic zone throughout Russia. This means that anyone can become a potential victim of this insect. Of course, the best option is timely. But, in any case, after his bite, you should not panic, but clearly follow the instructions and take tests to detect diseases that are transmitted by ticks.

Not at all harmless to humans. The fact is that these arachnids are carriers of many dangerous infectious diseases. Among them are tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis and many others. etc. Therefore, after a tick attack, it is imperative to understand whether the parasite is infected with any virus? How to know about it? An excellent option is to take a blood test. It would also be useful to take the tick itself to a specialist for examination. This is the only way to determine whether infection occurred after contact with a bloodsucker.

What tests to take if bitten by a tick?

After a tick bite, you can not hesitate. Of course, the account does not go by minutes or hours. But it’s not worth delaying contacting a medical institution (especially since many hospitals conduct round-the-clock reception of those people who can potentially be infected with borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis, etc.). The fact is that within the first five days, symptoms of the disease may appear, and after 7-10 days (if the body is weakened), complications may begin.

It is important to remember that immediately after an arthropod bite, it does not make sense to take a blood test. This is explained by the fact that the result of such a study will be unreliable. Indeed, in the human body, as a response to the virus, specific antibodies (antiviral proteins-immunoglobulins) should be formed, which the analysis reveals. And this takes time - up to 10 days, or even more. Therefore, many doctors recommend doing a blood test for tick-borne infections only 11-14 days after the bite.

In this situation, it is much more effective to bring and hand over the tick itself for examination. In this case, literally on the first day it will be possible to determine whether he was infected with some kind of dangerous infection and whether there is a risk to human life and health.

As for the analyzes themselves, a wide range of laboratory tests are used to determine the hidden ones. The specific method of diagnosis is chosen by the doctor himself, taking into account:

patient's age;
the state of his immune system;
whether vaccination has been carried out;
the time that has passed since the bite;
whether the subject was taking antibiotics and other drugs.

The result of diagnosis for most infectious diseases transmitted to humans through a tick bite is usually issued 3-5 days after blood sampling. If it is positive, then after 2-4 weeks the analysis is repeated.

In some cities that do not have frequent cases of infection with borreliosis or tick-borne encephalitis, it is impossible to donate blood after a tick bite for these infections. In this case, you may need to travel to a neighboring village or contact a private clinic. Sometimes specialists from the sanitary and epidemiological station (SES) can also come to the rescue.

How much does a tick-borne infection test cost?

What is the average cost of blood tests for tick-borne infections? Approximately 400-600 rubles in commercial organizations. At the same time, for this amount, you will be tested for the presence of one type of virus pathogens - for example, for encephalitis or borreliosis. Accordingly, the cost of a comprehensive study can cost 1000-2000 rubles. In public institutions, tariffs are usually lower by about 30-40%.

Where can you donate a tick?

Typically, this type of disease spreader is analyzed by specialized private and public institutions. They exist in most settlements - cities, villages, urban-type settlements, etc. But in some territories there may not be such laboratories. So we recommend that you find out in advance in which organization in your place of residence it is possible to surrender a bitten insect for further research.

Basically, the number of such institutions (where it makes sense to carry a tick) includes:

Private clinics;
State medical institutions - trauma center, hospital, clinic, etc. Usually, such institutions have a laboratory room that allows you to examine the tick to identify infectious agents that it can transmit to humans.

At the same time, when you decide to take a tick for research, do not forget to take money with you. The fact is that this service is mainly provided for a fee. How much is taken to determine whether an arthropod is infected or not?

The cost of analyzing a tick for the presence of a causative agent of a particular disease in state medical institutions of the Russian Federation is approximately the same. As a rule, it is enough to pay 500-600 rubles to conduct an arthropod test for borreliosis or encephalitis. In private medical centers and laboratories, testing a tick for viruses in it will cost about twice as much. For example, the Hemotest laboratory network, which is popular today in Russia, estimates a comprehensive study of a tick at 2050 rubles, and it takes 2 days. At the same time, in such institutions, you can also order an express analysis, which will be ready in a few hours.

How to save and properly transport a tick for analysis?

We have already clarified many important points. Although some questions still remain. They concern how to “treat” with a tick - how to properly save it and what is the best way to move it?

Borreliosis (or Lyme disease - it got its name in honor of the place where it was first diagnosed in 1975) is a systemic pathology caused by the bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi from the spirochete family. Its carriers are many animals: dogs, cows, horses, sheep, birds. But it is usually transmitted to a person by the bite of an ixodid tick (it is also a carrier of encephalitis). Borreliosis has three stages of development:

Fever, severe reddening of the skin due to dilated capillaries (erythema annulare) - begins about a week after infection.
Violation of cardiac activity, neuropathy, paralysis of facial muscles - a month after infection.
Joint damage - this stage can occur both a few months and several years after infection.

Important. In the early stages, borreliosis is successfully treated with antibiotics. If the disease is started, it can flow into a chronic form. Therefore, it is necessary to diagnose the pathology as early as possible.

Both live and dead ticks are suitable for analysis;
If it is not possible to immediately deliver a live tick to the clinic, it is stored in a closed jar in the refrigerator;
A wet cotton swab is placed in a container with a dead tick - this will maximize the preservation of the virus;
It is necessary to deliver the pest for analysis no later than 2 days - then the result of the study may turn out to be unreliable.

Also, the patient should be tested for borreliosis. It is important to consider that the incubation period of the disease is about 14 days. Therefore, the results of the study conducted earlier than this period will be unreliable.

Important. For the primary diagnosis of borreliosis, venous blood is usually needed. Preparation for the study is easy. They donate blood on an empty stomach. You can smoke no later than 30-60 minutes before the procedure. On the eve of the study, alcohol is excluded.

It is imperative to take an analysis for tick-borne borreliosis when the following symptoms are observed after a tick bite:

ring-shaped redness in the area of the bite with clear edges, which expands concentrically every day;
febrile state, fever (as at the beginning of the flu);
nausea;
weakness;
sore throat;
joint and muscle pain;
peeling and pigmentation of the skin;
enlarged lymph nodes;
headache;
photophobia;
irritability;
insomnia;
disorders of concentration and memory;
violations of coordination;
conjunctivitis;
hives.

An analysis for borreliosis can be:

direct;
indirect.

Direct analysis involves the identification of the Borrelia themselves. Since they live only in some tissues of the body, the collection of material is associated with some difficulties. Therefore, for primary diagnosis, indirect methods (serological) are more often used, which make it possible to detect antibodies to borreliosis in the patient's blood. The most common are the lgM and lgG antibody tests.

IgM class antibodies are found in the patient's blood 2-4 weeks after the alleged infection and are present in it for several months. Therefore, this analysis is suitable for the detection of recently developed borreliosis.

IgG class antibodies appear in the blood after 4-6 months and are able to remain in it for several years. An analysis for these antibodies allows you to identify a long-standing or already transferred disease.

A direct study (usually a PCR analysis - polymerase chain reaction) is carried out if the serological procedure gave a negative result, but the patient has symptoms of the disease. The material being studied is the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient. Also, a tick delivered by a patient to a medical facility is subjected to PCR analysis.

How to take a blood test for encephalitis?

Ixodid ticks are carriers of not only borreliosis, but also another disease - encephalitis. Pathology is an inflammatory process in the brain and is dangerous because it causes serious neuropathic disorders (loss of hearing and vision, impaired coordination of movements, paralysis, mental disorders). Many of these effects of the disease are irreversible. And in some cases, encephalitis can lead to death.

In the initial stages of development, the pathology manifests itself with the following symptoms (they are often mistaken for signs of a cold):

fever, fever;
headache;
slight aching in the muscles;
general malaise.

In a person with a strong immune system, these symptoms may go away on their own. But in a third of cases, the symptoms get worse. To these are added symptoms of damage to the nervous system (movement disorders, mental disorders, severe headaches, sleep problems).

Encephalitis, like borreliosis, can be detected using an antibody test. For this, they also donate venous blood. The rules for preparation are the same as for testing for Lyme disease.

An analysis for borreliosis and encephalitis is recommended for anyone who has been bitten by a tick, even if they do not have symptoms. The incubation period for encephalitis is 2 weeks. Therefore, tests for borreliosis and encephalitis can be taken 14 days after the alleged infection. Earlier it is not necessary - the necessary antibodies may still be absent, and the result will be erroneous.

Important! There is no vaccine for borreliosis. But there is a vaccination against encephalitis, as a result of which antibodies to this infection appear in the human blood, which subsequently protect the body from the development of the disease when bitten by a tick. If you often visit forests and other places where ticks accumulate, it is recommended to take a course of such vaccinations.

Decryption

The result of the analysis for borreliosis can be qualitative (infection is detected or not) and quantitative (the number of antibodies in a milliliter is counted), as well as:

positive - the disease develops in the body;
negative - borreliosis was not detected;
doubtful - there are suspicions of an infection, but it is impossible to say for sure.

Below is a transcript of the analysis for borreliosis.

IgM antibodies:

Negative result - antibodies less than 18 units/ml.
A positive result is more than 22 units / ml.
Doubtful result - antibodies more than 18 U / ml, but less than 22 U / ml.

IgG antibodies:

Negative result - antibodies less than 10 units/ml.
A positive result is more than 15 units / ml.
Doubtful result - antibodies more than 10 U / ml, but less than 15 U / ml.

The result of the PCR analysis is qualitative:

revealed - there is an infection;
not detected - the disease is not detected.

The test result may be false positive. This occurs with the following diseases:

mononucleosis;
syphilis;
hepatitis B;

If the result is positive or doubtful, the analysis is repeated. Often, a clarifying study is carried out by immunoblot. This is also an analysis for the detection of antibodies, but more detailed and accurate. The results are displayed on the test membrane as strips. If there are strips, the infection is detected. There are no stripes - borreliosis was not detected.

Where can I get tested

A blood test for borreliosis can be taken at the Otradnoye Polyclinic. If your rhythm of life involves over-employment, and it is difficult for you to find time to visit a medical facility, you can order a nurse to visit you at home. In this case, blood for analysis will be taken from you at your home, at a convenient time for you.