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Lyme Disease symptoms vary from person to person. (lymes disease lyme's disease lime disease limes disease)
The data and information presented in this web site are presented in good faith and believed to be accurate regarding Lyme disease (commonly misspelled lymes disease lyme's disease lime disease limes disease) and other related diseases. Any and all liability for the content or any omissions including any inaccuracies, errors, or misstatements in such data or information is expressly disclaimed. The web site is compiled for the sole purpose of informing community members of resources and information pertaining to Lyme Borreliosis Disease and its coinfections. Lyme disease symptoms may vary from person to person.
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Consult a qualified Lyme ( Borreliosis ) Disease literate doctor for medical advice if Lyme Disease is suspect to discuss your Lyme Disease Symptoms.
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Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases, Dec 15, 2005 v41 i12 p1826(2).
False-positive serological test results for Lyme disease in a
patient with acute herpes simplex virus type 2
infection.
Author: Lynne Strasfeld, Lauri Romanzi, Richard H. Seder and Victor P.
Berardi
SIR -- False-positive results of serological tests for Lyme disease have been
reported in cases of recent primary infection with varicella-zoster virus [1,
2], Epstein-Barr virus [3,4], and cytomegalovirus [3]. We report the first
association of false-positive results of serological testing for Lyme disease
with infection due to another of the herpesviruses, herpes simplex virus (HSV)
type 2.
A previously healthy 27-year-old woman developed tender bilateral inguinal
lymphadenopathy in mid-May 2005, followed 1 week later by dysuria and
headache. She self-treated with nitrofurantoin for a presumptive urinary tract
infection, but soon thereafter, she developed acute urinary retention
requiring foley catheter decompression and subsequent intermittent
self-catheterization. The patient was sexually active with 1 male partner and
had no prior history of sexually transmitted diseases. She resided in New York
City and denied recent travel to wooded areas, had no pets, and recalled no
tick or other insect bites. Other than tender bilateral inguinal
lymphadenopathy, the findings of a physical examination (including a pelvic
examination) were unremarkable.
Two weeks after the appearance of inguinal lymphadenopathy, the results of
serological testing for HSV were positive for IgM antibody according to EIA
screening, with a confirmatory immunofluorescent antibody titer strongly
positive (titer, >1: 160) (Quest Diagnostics); the patient's samples were
negative for HSV-1 IgG and equivocal for HSV-2 IgG by ELISA (0.92; index
values, 0.00-0.89) (Quest Diagnostics). Cultures of samples obtained from the
genitals were negative for gonorrhea and chlamydia; the results of HIV
testing, a rapid plasma reagin antibody test, and heterophile antibody testing
were also negative. The patient was treated with oral acyclovir for
presumptive acute primary HSV-2 infection.
In further work-up for lymphadenopathy, a serological test for Lyme disease
was performed. The results of this test were positive for IgM (12.6; index
value, <1) and negative for IgG and IgA by antibody-capture EIA for Borrelia
burgdorferi; the results of testing for IgG antibodies by immunoblot were
interpreted as negative (i.e., there was reactivity to <5 antigens) (Imugen).
The patient was not treated for Lyme disease, and an additional serological
test for antibodies associated with Lyme disease was performed 12 days after
the first specimen was obtained. To eliminate the effects of between-run
variation, the initial specimen was retrieved from the frozen archive and was
retested concurrently with the testing of the follow-up specimen. The presence
of IgM reactive with antigens of B. burgdorferi was confirmed in both
specimens, but in the follow-up specimen, the level of IgM was decreased,
there was still no IgA or IgG reactive to antibodies associated with Lyme
disease (antibody-capture EIA was used to test for all 3 isotypes), and an IgG
immunoblot had negative results. In contrast, additional serological testing
for HSV was performed 18 days after initial testing, and ELISA results were
positive for HSV IgM (3.83; index value, 0.00-0.89) and positive for HSV-2 IgG
(8.89; index value, 0.00-0.89) (ARUP Laboratories), which was consistent with
recent primary HSV-2 infection. Six weeks after initial development of
symptoms, the patient was voiding without difficulty, and her inguinal
lymphadenopathy was regressing.
In a patient with suspected Lyme disease who was followed-up but not treated
for Lyme disease for [greater than or equal to]1 week, failure of the anti-B.
burgdorferi antibody response to progress is strong evidence against infection
with B. burgdorferi [4] and indicates the need for an alternative diagnoses.
We report a case of acute primary genital HSV-2 infection and have shown it to
be associated with a biological false-positive IgM result of a serological
test for Lyme disease. Recent primary HSV-2 infection should be considered as
a cause of cross-reacting IgM-class anti-B. burgdorferi antibody.
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