Lyme Western Blot Test - More Information

The Lyme western blot test, also known as a Lyme disease western blot lab test, measures Lymy IgG and IgM blood antibody levels to Borrelia burgdorferi.

Using an immunoblot methodology, the Lyme western blot test is traditionally used to confirm the results when the Lyme disease screening test is positive although some people get both Lyme tests for added screening.

On a Lyme western blot lab report, the IgG and IgM antibody results will be split into different KD bands with a report of reactive or non-reactive in the results column. A reactive result is considered a positive. Per CDC criteria, the Lyme disease IgG immunoblot result should show reactivity to at least five IgG proteins. The IgM immunoblot result should show reactivity to at least two IgM proteins. Regardless, anything positive should be considered in the context of clinical symptoms with the advice of your licensed medical provider.

To get the Lyme western blot test near you, order online and get your blood drawn at Quest Diagnostics. Once the Lyme western blot lab report is ready, it can be downloaded for further review. As can be seen on the sample Lyme disease western blot lab results provided above, the different IgG bands tested in the western blot will report as reactive or non-reactive. This Lyme disease blot test is a useful confirmatory test after initial screening.

This Lyme western blot blood test uses a lab process called gel electrophoresis to identify Lyme proteins using characteristics such as their length. Sometimes called a protein immunoblot, the western blot is useful as a confirmatory blood test when Lyme screening tests are positive.