title: Alternatives to Serologic Testing for Diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
abstract: Although serologic testing remains the gold standard for laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease, the antibody response may take several weeks to increase greater than the limit of detection. Because of this extended time frame, it is necessary to identify new diagnostic methods for earlier diagnosis and appropriate treatment of Lyme disease. Alternative diagnostic modalities, such as Borrelia culture or nucleic acid amplification testing, may be beneficial in specific clinical scenarios. In early phases of acute infection, before the development of an immune response, detection of Borrelia DNA from clinical specimens may help establish the diagnosis sooner than serologic methods.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, 4th Floor Gates Building, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alby
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology and Diagnostic Virology Laboratories, Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - Shreveport, PO Box 33932, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA. Electronic address: gcapra@lsuhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Gerald A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Capraro
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Alternative diagnostics; Borrelia; Culture; Erythema migrans; Lyme arthritis; Lyme disease; Neuroborreliosis; PCR