Submitted via IRC for Bytram
New test diagnoses Lyme disease within 15 minutes
Current testing for Lyme disease, called the standard 2-tiered approach or the STT, involves running two complex assays (ELISA and western blot) to detect antibodies against the bacterium, and requires experienced personnel in a lab, and a few hours to carry out and interpret. Biomedical engineers have developed a rapid microfluidic test that can detect Lyme disease with similar performance as the STT in a much shorter time -- 15 minutes.
[...]The researchers evaluated 142 samples, including patients with early Lyme disease, healthy individuals from areas where Lyme disease is endemic, and those with Lyme arthritis. They first screened a set of known diagnostic Lyme disease biomarkers for their ability to detect Lyme disease infection. They then tested the top three biomarkers using a standard enzyme immunoassay, and then mChip-LD, an advanced microfluidic platform developed by Sam Sia, to test the samples.
When tested against additional samples of serum from people with Lyme disease, the multiplexed set of biomarkers was more sensitive than standard Lyme disease tests, while also exhibiting high specificity. The team found that it was better at picking up signs of Lyme disease infection in early-stage samples--possibly because it was able to detect antibodies that peak in the first weeks after someone is infected with Lyme disease.
When the test was run on Sia's mChip-LD platform, it worked very well, showing strong potential for the development of a point-of-care test for Lyme disease.
Further information:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01142-19
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 21 2019, @09:42PM (1 child)
Put these nike sneakers on that thing, and it will do it under 10 minutes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 21 2019, @09:48PM
Or put some cement shoes on them and see if they float for longer than 3 minutes.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Username on Monday October 21 2019, @10:16PM (6 children)
I seem to remember Lyme being a fake disease. Something about doctors knowing better and we're all hypochondriacs. I just wonder what was the moment that got it recognized. Everyone seem to have known it was caused by ticks and had medication for it for years, but could only sell it to dogs. I bet there was some kind of doctor saving face moment where he says, "it's not REALLY lyme disease, that doesn't exist, we just call it that so you simpletons will understand. Doctor Abc discovered xyz disease yesterday and got a nobel prize, but we just call it lyme since it has the same symptoms, carriers, infection vectors and treatment."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 21 2019, @10:52PM (1 child)
Elisa?
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=eliza+computer+therapist [duckduckgo.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 23 2019, @07:55PM
ELISA: Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay
sbgen
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 21 2019, @11:01PM (1 child)
It isn't rocket surgery, they said the disease didn't exist until there was a blood test for it.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:54PM
Never heard of rocket surgery, but that sure sounds an awful lot like "rapid unplanned disassembly".
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2, Interesting) by MikeVDS on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:07AM (1 child)
Lyme is real and often multiple infections.
What is under question is "Chronic Lyme", which the pile of evidence shows is not really a chronic infection but something else causing problems after the infection has cleared up. Possibly auto immune, but no one is really certain. The problem is that many doctors jtry to treat it like a chronic infection even though there are piles of evidence that this doesn't work.
(Score: 2) by istartedi on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:57AM
If post-ebola virus syndrome [wikipedia.org] can be a thing, then I don't see why post-Lyme syndrome can't also be a thing. Then again, I'm not a doctor so what do I know?
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 21 2019, @11:02PM
Now your doctor can prove that your just a lazy welfare bum looking to avoid work.