New Approach to Diagnosing Lyme Disease Shows Promise

New Approach to Diagnosing Lyme Disease Shows Promise

Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Credit: NIAID.

New Approach to Diagnosing Lyme Disease Shows Promise

Lyme disease can be easily confused with other diseases due to similar symptoms, so an enhanced test would reduce misdiagnoses and help patients quickly receive appropriate treatment. In a recent study, a team of researchers supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases explored the feasibility of using metabolic markers to diagnose early-stage Lyme disease. They found metabolic profiling achieved significantly greater diagnostic sensitivity than the standard lab tests and retained a high specificity in diagnosing early-stage Lyme disease.

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