Borrelia afzelii

Questions and Answers about Tick-Borne Illness Testing

Dr. Konstance Knox discusses benefits of tick-borne disease testing Question: What benefit is it to patients to test for multiple genospecies of borrelia? Dr. Knox: While B burgdorferi is the dominant borrelia species found in US patients, infections with other genospecies of borrelia have been seen (B. afzelii, B. garinii) and other strains of the bacteria have been identified in ticks in the US (B. miyamotoi). Standard FDA approved Lyme testing will not detect these infections and patients will remain…

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Coppe Laboratories’ Lyme Testing Includes European Strains of Borrelia

Lyme testing for individuals who have traveled outside of U.S. Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii are the primary bacteria that cause Lyme Disease in the United States. Two other strains, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, are the primary causes of Lyme disease in Europe and Asia. In a recent “Hot Topic” from the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Elli Theel, a recommendation of using European immunoblots was recommended for individuals traveling outside the United States.  Wisconsin-based Coppe Laboratories is the only commercial reference laboratory…

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