Lyme disease (borrelia burgdorferi) IgG antibodies

Determination of the amount of Immunoglobulin G antibodies for Lyme Disease in blood using the ELISA immunoassay method

Borreliosis | Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by Borrelia bacteria. The disease is transmitted to humans by ticks after they have fed on wild animals that carry Borrelia bacteria. Most commonly, a person is infected with Lyme disease when a tick remains attached for 24 hours or more.
Once infected, the human body produces antibodies. At the early stage of the disease, the body produces IgM class antibodies and later starts producing IgG class antibodies.
It is precisely the amount of these immunoglobulin G and M class antibodies that is determined by conducting blood tests for Lyme disease using the ELISA immunoassay method.
Every individual’s body reacts differently to an infectious disease and starts producing antibodies at different times. Therefore, Lyme disease blood tests are recommended to be conducted at least 2 weeks after a tick bite. Within 2 - 6 weeks after a tick bite, it is necessary to perform a Borreliosis IgM blood test, although infectious disease specialists recommend testing for both classes of antibodies to evaluate their ratio.
The blood test for the amount of IgG antibodies in Lyme Disease is used in later stages of disease diagnosis and during the treatment of the disease.

The Lyme disease IgG class blood test is performed from blood serum. Blood samples are collected into tubes with red or yellow caps. The blood sample is centrifuged to extract serum. The serum is stable at 4 degrees temperature for up to 7 days. Tests can be performed on frozen blood serum for several months.

The norms for the Lyme disease IgG blood test depend on the analyzer used in the laboratory for the test, therefore, different laboratories may have different norms.