Lymes Disease Tester Kit Result

Krabryn

Well-Known Member
Hi,
Tried out the Care Plus Lymes Disease Tester Kit from Bush Wear on a tick of about 4 mm across taken from the groin of a Roe buck freshly culled in south Cumbria in July. The kit was easy to use and within a few minutes we had the result for Lymes - NEGATIVE.
I'd be interested to learn if any other stalkers have results from other areas. Who knows, perhaps a map of positive and negative results could be made?
Unfortunately, the kit cannot be re-used and at £10 is an expensive one shot deal diagnostic, utilized her for sheer curiosity. Cheers, K
 
Is there a shelf life on this product ? and can it only be used on one tick, or can you test several ? I had no idea that Bushwear sold them and having had Lymes I would be interested in purchasing one.

Thanks
 
Hi sikamalc, I didn't notice the shelf life on the pack but think as an external diagnostic it is likely to be 2 - 3 years; and left it with a mate who's not available right now. But, I can say that it is a one off test and throw it away. That said, it utilizes a chromatography paper strip in a cassette and as the liquid front moves across, it passes the Control (C) marker first followed by the Test (T) line. I didn't try this but think that if allowed the kit to dry out and then had access to a known POSITIVE Lyme Disease sample, washing out the reaction tube and using some more reagent liquid with the new POSITIVE tick should show a positive. Cheers, K
 
10 quid to know if the tick carries Lyme disease is worth every penny any day! But, how specific and sensitive is the test kit? The last thing you need is a kit with poor sensitivity which can lull you into a false sense of security.
 
tick kit

We Should all have a whip round for 1 of these for Paul And Barony .so he can check him self as the poor guy must be going out of his mind with worry .how do you explain that to your Doctor HA HA

sheep are ment to be left alone in the fields

DJC:-|
 
When i contracted Lyme disease i was told by the GP that diagnosed it that the NHS tests were unreliable. I would presume that they are more accurate than a bought over the counter test, so i'd be a little dubious of any results the test gives. And before anyone says how did i know it was Lyme disease if they couldn't diagnose it (I know this site is full of smart arses - self included :-|) I was bitten by a tick 3 months prior to symptoms, had the classic symptoms and the Lyme specific antibiotics hit the spot within 2-3 weeks - they also clear VD as well !

Scrun
 
10 quid to know if the tick carries Lyme disease is worth every penny any day! But, how specific and sensitive is the test kit? The last thing you need is a kit with poor sensitivity which can lull you into a false sense of security.

Even diagnostic labs using ELISA testing quote ~70% sensitivity (ie 3 in 10 declared free when not)!

There is a period of time after the bite that the tick can transmit infection, in dogs it is believed to be 48 hours. I don't know the answer in people.

I suggest that knowing a tick is positive will only cause worry, and there is nothing to suggest you will get the infection. Then there is a 30% chance the tick is infected and the kit says not. I can't see a use.

Hi sikamalc, I didn't notice the shelf life on the pack but think as an external diagnostic it is likely to be 2 - 3 years; and left it with a mate who's not available right now. But, I can say that it is a one off test and throw it away. That said, it utilizes a chromatography paper strip in a cassette and as the liquid front moves across, it passes the Control (C) marker first followed by the Test (T) line. I didn't try this but think that if allowed the kit to dry out and then had access to a known POSITIVE Lyme Disease sample, washing out the reaction tube and using some more reagent liquid with the new POSITIVE tick should show a positive. Cheers, K

It is an ELISA test that relies on antibody-antigen interactions. It would either not work, or work much less well if reused! Wouldn't advise it.
 
I have posted before on Lyme/Borreliosis warning of the hit and miss interpretation of laboratory results. I asked for someone to post the instruction leaflet so we can assess the validation procedure of this test. As the life history of the causing bacteria are very complex plus the USA protocol bias on the test in England ( Southampton Reference Laboratory ) what is being missed ? We have additional types/species in Britain which are not tested for routinely except at Raigmore Hospital, although Dundee University now has a dedicated specialist. Guess what ?? Incidence of Lyme/borreliosis has gone up in the Tayside area, the cynic in me suggests increased awareness in clinicians plus better tests and interpretation. Proceed with caution.
 
Just to add to Morena and Apache, testing in humans is not straightforward, the chances of false results are high. There has been a recent BMJ article on it, it might be worth a look on line (off on hols or I'd do it for you). This over the counter kit is probably no use at all. The most reliable indicator being the ring (erythema migrans). Transmission still felt to be 48 hours after bite. So get them off!
Preferences

§
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
-
=
Backspace

Tab
q
w
e
r
t
y
u
i
o
p
[
]

Return



capslock
a
s
d
f
g
h
j
k
l
;
'
\

shift
`
z
x
c
v
b
n
m
,
.
/
shift


English


Deutsch


Español


Français


Italiano


Português


Русский




alt

alt





Preferences
 
We Should all have a whip round for 1 of these for Paul And Barony .so he can check him self as the poor guy must be going out of his mind with worry .how do you explain that to your Doctor HA HA

sheep are ment to be left alone in the fields

DJC:-|

settle down sailor :lol:
 
Lyme disease not Lymes.

To be honest Jack
Does it really matter about that little 's'
as when I was sat in the doctors trying to explain to the doctor wot my symptoms were and how they were affecting me and trying to help sort out my own health
that extra letter was not even a consideration
so I am really gratefull to you , to point out such a worthless spelling mistake
many thanks

Ps
even bigger thanks to Norm (Morena) for all the extra advice on the matter
cheers mate
 
To be honest Jack
Does it really matter about that little 's'
as when I was sat in the doctors trying to explain to the doctor wot my symptoms were and how they were affecting me and trying to help sort out my own health
that extra letter was not even a consideration
so I am really gratefull to you , to point out such a worthless spelling mistake
many thanks

Ps
even bigger thanks to Norm (Morena) for all the extra advice on the matter
cheers mate

Richard,

perhaps the S at the end should equate to S//t which is I think the word I used when I was diagnosed :lol::lol:
 
Just to add to Morena and Apache, testing in humans is not straightforward, the chances of false results are high. There has been a recent BMJ article on it, it might be worth a look on line (off on hols or I'd do it for you). This over the counter kit is probably no use at all. The most reliable indicator being the ring (erythema migrans). Transmission still felt to be 48 hours after bite. So get them off!

I have to admit to only being slightly aware of Lyme's disease (btw: for the grammar pedants: the name derives from a Proper Noun and therefore the "s" is perfectly acceptable, but to be utterly correct should also have the apostrophe, indicating "belonging to" or "of").

I always endeavour to remove the little blighters ASAP (and very carefully, with a tick removal tool). Causing them to regurgitate their gut contents into your flesh being the most undesirable outcome of all. So, I am very interested to read of the 48 hour ... for the want of a better word... "window". Fascinating and good to know.
 
Richard,

perhaps the S at the end should equate to S//t which is I think the word I used when I was diagnosed :lol::lol:


If I recall
i just asked to be treated
my doctor had no real idea but 2nd opinion from another doctor in the practice got things rolling which is where Norm came up trumps on his advice
with out that knowledge , who knows
i may of just gone home thinking I had a flu that would pass
 
I have to admit to only being slightly aware of Lyme's disease (btw: for the grammar pedants: the name derives from a Proper Noun and therefore the "s" is perfectly acceptable, but to be utterly correct should also have the apostrophe, indicating "belonging to" or "of").

I always endeavour to remove the little blighters ASAP (and very carefully, with a tick removal tool). Causing them to regurgitate their gut contents into your flesh being the most undesirable outcome of all. So, I am very interested to read of the 48 hour ... for the want of a better word... "window". Fascinating and good to know.
Tom
to be fair
there is no hard and fast rules
just facts
and non of the facts really ever add up
as in each case can be different with the added factor of some people contract lyme's years before the symptoms
even start to appear
removal of the cause ASAP is good advice
 
I have posted before on Lyme/Borreliosis warning of the hit and miss interpretation of laboratory results. I asked for someone to post the instruction leaflet so we can assess the validation procedure of this test. As the life history of the causing bacteria are very complex plus the USA protocol bias on the test in England ( Southampton Reference Laboratory ) what is being missed ? We have additional types/species in Britain which are not tested for routinely except at Raigmore Hospital, although Dundee University now has a dedicated specialist. Guess what ?? Incidence of Lyme/borreliosis has gone up in the Tayside area, the cynic in me suggests increased awareness in clinicians plus better tests and interpretation. Proceed with caution.


Do you have any contact details for the specialists at Dundee or Raigmore? I have tried Googling without any sucess. I was tested by my GP about a month ago, result negative but I don't have confidence in that result, I have seen many on-line comments that the tests are unreliable. I am prepared to go private if need be, I am located just north of Aberdeen so Dundee and Inverness are about the same distance wise.
 
Back
Top