What is the name of a tick test? - briefly
«Lyme disease serology», typically performed by ELISA and confirmed with a Western blot, is the standard diagnostic test for infections transmitted by ticks. It is commonly referred to as the Lyme disease test.
What is the name of a tick test? - in detail
The diagnostic assay commonly used to identify exposure to a tick‑borne pathogen is the serologic test for Borrelia burgdorferi, performed initially with an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay («ELISA») and, when positive, confirmed by a Western blot («Western blot»).
The procedure includes:
- Collection of a venous blood sample, typically 2–4 weeks after a suspected bite to allow antibody development.
- Screening with «ELISA» to detect IgM and IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi antigens.
- Reflex testing with «Western blot» if the screening result exceeds the laboratory‑defined cutoff, providing band‑pattern analysis for specificity.
Interpretation guidelines:
- Positive «ELISA» with a confirmatory positive «Western blot» indicates seropositivity and supports a clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease.
- Negative «ELISA» effectively rules out recent infection, though very early disease may yield false‑negative results.
- Indeterminate or equivocal results require repeat testing after an appropriate interval or alternative diagnostic methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on synovial fluid or skin biopsy.
Additional tick‑borne diseases employ similar serologic strategies; for example, Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection is detected by a specific immunofluorescence assay, while Babesia microti is identified through PCR or microscopic examination of blood smears.
Overall, the combination of «ELISA» screening and «Western blot» confirmation constitutes the standard laboratory protocol for confirming exposure to the primary tick‑transmitted bacterium.