Lyme Disease (Borrelia Burgdorferi) Antibodies, IgG & IgM

A tick bite may sound like nothing significant, but even something as small as a tick bite can make you seriously ill. Lyme disease is spread by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Small and black-legged ticks are the carriers of these bacteria.

The ticks quickly pick up these bacteria when they bite deer or mice that may be infected with Lyme disease. The disease is transferable via an infected tick if it bites you. However, the tick must stick to your body for 24 to 36 hours in order to cause an infection.

The black-legged ticks are extremely small and often not visible to the naked eye. Most people who are bitten by these ticks do not get Lyme disease. However, a set of symptoms can help you understand whether you have contracted the disease or not. The symptoms include:

• Chills, fever, and lightheadedness
• Itching all over the body
• Headache, muscle pain, and stiff neck 
• Bull’s eye rash on the body

Once you have been infected with the disease, the symptoms might get severe, and you may experience:

• Heart palpitations
• Facial paralysis
• Numbness or tingling 
• Trouble speaking

If you notice some or all of these symptoms after being bitten by a tick, you should get a Lyme disease antibodies test after consulting your doctor. It is a blood test that detects the signs of infection in your blood. The treatment usually involves taking antibiotics for about a month.

If left untreated, this disease can affect your muscle, nerve, and heart. The best thing to ensure is to wear protective clothing whenever you are out in the woods or on high grass.

Apollo 24|7 offers a comprehensive Lyme disease antibodies test to determine the presence of antibodies in your blood to fight the bacteria. If you have contracted Lyme disease, your body will produce antibodies against B. burgdorferi. If you have never contracted it, your bloodstream will not contain these antibodies, and your test will be negative.

You might get a negative result for the Lyme disease test if you test in the early days and weeks of being infected since your body has not yet produced the required number of antibodies. A positive result is usually observed after 2 to 4 weeks of infection.

The Lyme disease antibodies test requires no additional preparation as it is a simple blood test. If needed, apply a bandage to the puncture site in your arm. However, most after-effects like swelling, pain, bleeding, etc., subside after a while.
 

Medically reviewed by Dr. M S Chaudhary, General physician, Apollo Hospitals Indraprastha, South Delhi