Lyme Testing
Lyme disease is diagnosed using a two-step testing process recommended by the CDC. Understanding which test you had — and what your result means — depends on knowing where in that process your result sits.
Step 1 — Screening test (ELISA, EIA, or CIA)
The first step is a blood test that measures your overall antibody response to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. This test may appear on your report as:
- ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)
- EIA (enzyme immunoassay)
- CIA (chemiluminescent immunoassay) — a newer method increasingly used by LabCorp and Quest
- Lyme Ab Screen
- Lyme Total Antibody
A negative screening result typically ends the testing process. A positive or equivocal result triggers the second step.
Step 2 — Western blot (confirmatory test)
The Western blot identifies which specific Borrelia burgdorferi proteins your immune system has produced antibodies against. Results are reported band by band. There are two separate panels:
- IgG panel — 10 bands; positive requires 5 or more reactive. Reflects past or longer-standing exposure.
- IgM panel — 3 bands; positive requires 2 or more reactive. Reflects more recent exposure.
A reactive result on a single band does not make the overall test positive. Select the specific band or test result you are looking at from the panel below.
Important context
A positive Lyme test does not automatically mean active infection — IgG antibodies can remain detectable for years after a successfully treated infection. Equally, a negative test does not exclude early Lyme disease, since antibodies take 2–6 weeks to reach detectable levels after infection. All Lyme serology results should be interpreted alongside symptoms, tick exposure history, and clinical evaluation.
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Biomarkers included in this panel:
Two types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 18 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 23 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 23 KD (IGM) and hence is a IgM antibody marker. IgM antibodies reflect a relatively recent infection. IgG antibodies in contrast are a sign o
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 28 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 30 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 39 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 39 KD (IGM) and hence is a IgM antibody marker. IgM antibodies reflect a relatively recent infection. IgG antibodies in contrast are a sign o
Learn more41 KD (IGG) Band
The 41 kD band is the most commonly reactive band on the Lyme Western blot — and the least Lyme-specific. Studies have found it reactive in a significant proportion of healthy people with no Lyme exposure, due to cross-reactivity with non-patho
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 41 KD (IGM) and hence is a IgM antibody marker. IgM antibodies reflect a relatively recent infection. IgG antibodies in contrast are a sign o
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 45 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 58 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 66 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. This particular marker is called 93 KD (IGG) Band and hence is a IgG antibody marker. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. In contrast, IgM antibodies reflect a r
Learn moreBartonella henselae Ab, IgG is a blood test that measures the level of IgG antibodies against the bacteria Bartonella henselae, which is commonly associated with cat scratch disease. IgG antibodies are produced by the immune system as a response to a
Learn moreBartonella henselae Ab, IgM is a blood test marker used to detect the presence of IgM antibodies against the Bartonella henselae bacteria, which is the cause of cat scratch disease and other Bartonella-related infections. The IgM antibodies are part
Learn moreBartonella henselae IgG
Bartonella henselae IgG measures antibodies your immune system makes after exposure to the bacterium that causes most cases of cat-scratch disease. Results are reported as titers and must be read against your lab’s reference range: negative sug
Learn moreBorrelia burgdorferi is spirochete class bacterium. B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. burgdorferi sensu lato, B. burgdorferi afzelii and B. burgdorferi garinii spirochetes enter the human body through tick bites. Mixed with tick saliva, Borrelia tr
Learn moreThe "CD8-CD57+ Lymphocytes (Absolute)" marker on an HNK1 (CD57) panel from Labcorp represents a specific measurement of immune cells within your blood, quantified absolutely rather than as a percentage of total lymphocytes. This test focuse
Learn moreThe CD57 test is offered in some clinical laboratories and is being used by some health practitioners to evaluate and follow patients diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease.
Learn moreCytomegalovirus is a common virus that usually causes no or only mild symptoms. Cytomegalovirus testing detects antibodies in the blood that the body produces in response to the infection or detects CMV directly.
Learn moreEBV-VCA, IgG is an antibody (protein) that is produced by the body in an immune response to an Epstein-Barr virus antigen.
Learn moreLyme Ab (IgG) measures immunoglobulin G antibodies produced by the immune system in response to infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. These antibodies typically develop several weeks after infection and may rema
Learn moreLyme Ab (IgM) measures immunoglobulin M antibodies produced by the immune system shortly after infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease. IgM antibodies typically appear within the first few weeks following a tic
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. IgG antibodies are a sign of an older infection. IgM antibodies in contrast reflect a relatively recent infection.
Learn moreTwo types of antibodies are detected in the Western blot test. IgM antibodies reflect a relatively recent infection. IgG antibodies in contrast are a sign of an older infection.
Learn moreThe two most common diagnostic tests for Lyme are the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the Western blot. Both of these blood tests measure the presence of antibodies that form in your body if you are infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, t
Learn moreThe Lyme IgG Line Blot Interp. is a marker used in the diagnosis of Lyme disease. It refers to the interpretation of the results obtained from an IgG immunoblot test used to detect antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible fo
Learn moreThe Lyme IgM Line Blot Interpretation (Interp.) marker is a diagnostic test marker used to assess the presence of specific antibodies called IgM antibodies in a patient's blood. The IgM Line Blot Interp. marker helps in the diagnosis of Lyme d
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