You can select the tests:
- For the study of Borrelia: PhBor. Phage Borrelia qPCR
- For the study of Rickettsia: PhRick. Phage Rickettsia qPCR
- For the study of Borrelia and Rickettsia: PhCombo1. Phage Borrelia & Rickettsia qPCR
Borrelia
Borrelia burgdorferi are gram-negative spirochete bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Spirochetes are a group of phylogenetically distinct bacteria that have a unique mode of motility via axial filaments (endoflagella).
Borrelia is divided into “genospecies” that include B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii and B. afzelii. The term used to collectively describe all of these genospecies is B. burgdorferi sensu lato. b. burgdorferi invades the blood and tissues of several mammals and birds infected through the bite of ticks of the genus Ixodes.
The natural reservoir of B. burgdorferi is believed to be the white-footed mouse. Ticks transfer spirochetes to deer, humans, and other warm-blooded animals after ingesting blood from an infected animal. In most mammals, including humans, B. burgdorferi infection can cause Lyme disease.
Lyme disease presents a variety of symptoms that can be confused with immunological and inflammatory disorders. Inflammation around the tick bite causes skin lesions. Erythema (chronic) migrans (ECM), a single expanding skin lesion with a central clearing that has a ring-like appearance, is usually the first stage of the disease. Arthritis, neurological diseases and heart diseases may be manifestations in later stages.
Lyme Disease Co-Infections
Concurrent infections frequently occur in Lyme disease. The clinical and pathological impact of coinfections was first recognized in the 1990s. Their pathological synergism can exacerbate Lyme disease or induce similar manifestations. Coinfecting agents can be transmitted along with Borrelia burgdorferi by tick bite, resulting in multiple infections, but a fraction of coinfections occur independently of the tick bite.
Clinically relevant coinfections are caused by Babesia, Bartonella species, Yersinia enterocolitica, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infections caused by these pathogens in patients not infected with Borrelia burgdorferi can cause clinical symptoms similar to those that occur in Lyme disease. This applies particularly to infections caused by Bartonella henselae, Yersinia enterocolitica and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Chlamydia trachomatis mainly causes polyarthritis. Chlamydophila pneumoniae not only causes arthritis but also affects the nervous system and heart, making differential diagnosis difficult. Diagnosis is even more complex when co-infections occur in association with Lyme disease. (from Berghoff W. Open Neurol J. 2012;6:158-78.)
Testing Related to Tick-Borne Illnesses (TBI)
Summarizing the evidence related to TBI is a huge job. Many articles, books, websites, blogs, etc. are available today and several conferences are held every year. The aim of the present contribution was to bring together some of this information as a convenient resource for patients in order to promote an understanding of the usefulness but also the limitations of the available tests and the underlying reasons for failure.
The ultimate goal was also to further emphasize the need for a global and integrative approach for better management of TBIs.
You can find the information in PDF1.
Samples requested:
2 EDTA tubes of 4ml each filled with blood (3 EDTA tubes for PhCombo1) to be shipped at room temperature with an overnight courier arriving within 72 hours maximum after blood collection.
For longer periods, freeze tubes and ship frozen.
