Igenix Lyme ImmunoBlot test

They have been running this test for quite awhile. As they mention in their literature, it's an attempt to make a "qualitative" test by "grading" the bands on a western blot. Instead of "presence" or "absence" they have "indeterminate", "+", "++", "+++", or "++++" at each band site which presumably means, respectively,: "can't tell what that smudge is", "smudge barely visible,"looks like a band", "really looks like a band," and "really, really a band".  

We interpret it as we would a western blot. We don't consider "indeterminate" bands as positive. I leave it to our county epidemiologists to decide if a blot with three bands with only a "+" are actually positive. In any case, if  a positive IgM Immunoblot is done then must have positive ELISA or IFA preceding AND within 30 days of onset. If an IgG immunoblot is done then must have 5 or more bands present to consider- and insure that those are diagnostic bands that are listed (sometimes non standard bands are listed as positive).  

We have seen that this immunoblot is most often run as an IgM without preceding ELISA or IFA, often in "chronic" cases, and often in situations where physician is inappropriately using this test to monitor treatment. Thus, most of these immunoblots do not provide sufficient laboratory support for surveillance purposes because they are run in an untimely manner and with no ELISA/IFA support. 
Anne