Ik gooi er dit nog even tegenaan om de tegenstrijdigheid van bloedtests en lyme te illustreren:
Citaat:
Steere published an studyof Lyme patients infected 20 years ago. He found persistent antibodies of both the IgM and IgG class. Igenex has clinical studies: the presence of 2 specific IgM (or IgG) bands shows exposure to Borrelia burgdoreri (Lyme). There are studies which discuss false positive reaction as well as studies which discuss the specificity of certain antibodies. Existing literature supports the idea that certain Western Blot antibodies are highly specific for Lyme. Heuristic reasoning would lead one to a conclusion opposite that posited by mainstream medicine. As stated, IgM antibodies are seen in early and therefore acute infection with Lyme organisms. The persistence of IgM antibodies would suggest the immune system is "chronically" seeing Borrelia as an acute--new infection. IgG antibodies, seen in late infections with other organisms, are frequently used as a measure of immunity. Studies which select chronic Lyme patients with IgG responses may be inherently biased--ommiting the most common patient type. Patient selection for studies has been difficult because of patient recruitment limitations.
Why IgM? There are no studies which acknowledge this anomaly, let alone have studied it. I can postulate. IgM and IgG antibodies are produced by the same cells: B lymphocytes. These lymphocytes may become plasma cells. The switching from IgM to IgG antibodies occurs by amolecular switching. This class switching--IgM to IgG-- frequently fails to occur. Is it because Borrelia hide from the immune system--change the reactive antigens? I don't know. Normally af IgG antibodies are used as a metric for immunity from a particular germ. Memory cells persist. These memory cells produce IgG antibodies which block re-infection. Perhaps memory cells are not produced in chronic infection with Borrelia burgdorferi infection. The question remain unanswered.
What do we know: Lyme is associated with more IgM than IgG antibodies. Certain antibodies, for example: 18, 23, 31, 34, 39 41?, 93 are HIGHLY specific for exposure to Lyme bacteria.
The argument that chronic Lyme can only be diagnosed when 5/10 IgG, CDC surveillance bands are present--which exclude 31 and 34, makes no logical sense. The exclusion of 2 very specific antibodies relates to a failed vaccine. The 10 antibodies were part of an epidemiological tool devised in 1994. This tool was never intended for diagnosis, but has morphed into a diagnostic criteria used by infectious disease physicians for the inclusion/exclusion of Lyme infection. Recently a patient with 7/10 of these antibodies was sent for a C6 peptide test for confirmation, because the infectious disease physician thought these reactions might be a false positive. Side bar: the C6 test measures reactivity to a protein, ViSE. The ability of this particular antigen to mutate is well established; the utility of this test has lessened over time.
Geplaatst: 22-06-11 22:38 
