Lyme Disease Research Paper

Words: 548
Pages: 3

A Lyme disease antibody test is used to determine if you have been infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Lyme disease antibody tests are conducted with a routine blood draw.
Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through ticks that are infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. Symptoms of Lyme disease include:
• headache
• joint pain
• fever
• fatigue
• skin rash in the shape of a bull’s-eye
Untreated Lyme disease can affect your heart and nervous system. Symptoms of advanced Lyme disease can include loss of muscle tone in the face, memory loss, and tingling in your hands and feet.
Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. Ticks are very small and the bites are not always noticeable. Symptoms of the disease can vary from person to person. Not everyone experiences the classic “bull’s-eye” rash pattern around a tick bite. Your doctor will use the results of your Lyme disease antibody test along with the report of
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Common antigens include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and chemicals.
Your body produces antibodies if you are infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. These Lyme disease-specific antibodies will be present in your blood and your test will be positive.
If you have never been exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi, you will not have any Lyme disease antibodies in your bloodstream. In this case, your test will be negative.
You may test negative for Lyme disease in the early days and weeks after infection. This is because your body has not yet produced a significant number of antibodies. You will usually test positive for Lyme disease starting at about four weeks after infection.
There are very few risks associated with the Lyme disease antibody test. Excessive bleeding is possible, but there may be an increased risk if you take blood thinning medications or certain anti-inflammatory drugs like: