DIAGNOSIS

Before your first visit to the clinic, it is necessary to have the results of the three blood tests listed below. These tests can also be provided by our clinic on arrival. Blood sampling is carried out at our office:

• on Monday to Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (as ordered)

It is necessary to register for testing in advance at the number +421 2 206 206 88 ony any of the aforementioned dates , where more information is also available. It is not necessary to come to the blood draw procedure on an empty stomach (we recommend a light, non-fatty breakfast and plenty of fluids).

You can also arrange to have specified blood tests yourself in another location and bring them to your consultation, if you decide to do so, here is their list:

Examination of serum antibodies against B. Burgdorferi (by NIF or ELISA method, Westernblot), Chlamydia pneumoniae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Bartonella, Babesia, Yersinia and assorted Tickborne coinfections which might have been diagnosed or suspected by your primary care physician.

Additional examinations:

• examination of serum autoantibodies (by the NIF method)
  
  • ANA – against cell nuclei, ABMA – against basement membranes, ABMG – against glomerular basement membranes, ABMT – against tubule basement membranes, AMA – against mitochondria, AMCA – against cardiac muscle, ANCA – against neurophilic leukocytes, ANLA – against nucleoli, APCA – against parietal cells, ARA – against reticulin, ASKMA – against striated muscle, ASMA – against smooth muscle, ATA – against thyroid gland, AVEA – against vascular endothelium, antiHu/Ri – against protein Hu and Ri, AMa – against nuclei of neurons, antiYo – against protein Yo, AHFA – against hair follicles, AGSA – against adrenal gland
• examination of the determination of monoclonal CD antibodies
  
  • (CD3+ T Lymphocytes, CD3+CD4+ T Lymphocytes, CD3+CD8+ T Lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 Immunoregulatory Index, CD3-CD16+56+ NK cells, CD19+ B Lymphocytes)

The results of the blood tests that we perform at our clinic (LTT tests) are available in 7 to 10 working days, in the meantime you can order your next consultation by phone. During the first examination, the anamnesis – epidemiological (contact with a tick), clinical symptoms, development of the disease, treatment, clinical symptoms after treatment, or evaluation of previous auxiliary laboratory and imaging examinations, etc. are all performed by our physicians at the clinic. The above-mentioned blood tests are evaluated, the stage of the disease is determined, and treatment is prescribed and recommended, or hospitalization might be suggested for the purpose of supplementing examinations in extraordinary cases of extreme severity.

Checkup:
It is implemented in the first steps of treatment after 6 weeks, later after 12 weeks. During treatment, additional tests for other co-infections can be completed if the condition requires it.

All mentioned examinations and blood tests are subject to a fee, as our clinic does not work in partnership with health insurance companies. You can find out the prices for testings and appointments by phone or email.

Elispot-LTT: FDA and CDC approved LTT technique in the United States. This is real T-cell activity in the blood against Borrelia burgdorferi, Chlamydia pneumoniae/trachomatis, Erlichia/Anaplasma.

In May 2011, the US FDA and CDC approved the Elispot-LTT (T-spot) technique. This technique represents the Interferon-Gamma release Assay (IGRA) in the form of the Lymphocyte Transformation Test (LTT).

Specificity and sensitivity studies of Borrelia-Elispot-LTT assays report 82-100% specificity for Borrelia-Elispot-LTT and 84% sensitivity. (Skogman et al.: “Adaptative and Innate Immune Responsiveness to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato” in Exposed Asymptomatic Children and Children with Previous Clinical Lyme Borreliosis, Clinical and Development Immunology, Vol. 2012, Article ID 294587, 10 pages; Lehman PV et al .: Unique Strengths of ELISPOT for T Cell Diagnostics in: Kalyuzhny AE, Handbook of ELISPOT: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 792. 2nd Ed: Springer; 2012: 3-23

Borrelia infection not only activates the humoral immune response, but also activates T-lymphocytes. When Borrelia ceases to be active, the T-cell immune response is not present. The test shows the actual, actual activity of Borrelia burgdorferi, chronic or acute Lyme disease. Elispot-LTT is highly sensitive and can detect even a single Borrelia-reactive T cell in the blood. Elispot-LTT is very helpful in monitoring chronic or acute therapy. Elispot-LTT will normally become negative 6-8 weeks after the end of effective therapy.

• diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease
• diagnosis of acute Lyme disease
• determining the length of therapy
• monitoring the results of therapy

In addition to Borrelia Elispot-LTT, we also offer the following tests in cooperation with Arminlabs.

• CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAE-ELISPOT-LTT!
• CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS-ELISPOT-LTT
• EHRLICHIA/ANAPLASMA-ELISPOT-LTT
• YERSINIA-ELISPOT-LTT
• EPSTEIN BARR-VIRUS (EBV)-ELISPOT-LTT!

CD57+ cells document the degree of immune suppression of chronic disease. According to the current literature, CD57+ cells are a prognostic laboratory parameter during and after antibiotic treatment.

Clinical research studies and case studies show that chronic Lyme infections are often accompanied by changes in cellular immune defenses. The evidence is reduced numbers of Natural Killer-Cells (NK; CD3-CD56+), but mainly reduced absolute numbers of activated NK-cells (CD3-CD56+CD57+). While acute Lyme infection and other diseases show normal CD57 parameters, patients with chronic Lyme disease often have parameters of 100 CD57-cells/μl and lower in the blood. This change was mainly observed in patients whose nervous system was affected by chronic infection, not so much observed in patients with tissue and skeletal involvement. The reduction in CD57 cells lasted until symptoms improved with antibiotic treatment and other treatments. A reduced parameter of CD57 cells is a measurable signal of active chronic infection and can serve as an indicator of successful therapy.