Lyme Disease Test

British Columbia Specific Information

Ticks are tiny bugs which feed on blood. For information on ticks, removing ticks, and how to avoid being bitten, visit HealthLinkBC File #01 Tick Bites and Disease. Ticks found by BC residents can be identified for free by submitting a photo to eTick, which is the preferred method to have them identified quickly. You may also be interested in the HealthLinkBC File #96 Insect Repellent and DEET.

While most tick bites do not result in diseases, some can result in relapsing fever, tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), Q Fever and anaplasmosis, and the most well-known being Lyme disease. For more information on Lyme Disease, visit BC Centre for Disease Control – Tick-borne Diseases.

Test Overview

A Lyme disease test detects antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in the blood. Lyme disease bacteria are spread by certain kinds of ticks.

Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of many other illnesses. If you and your doctor think you have Lyme disease, your doctor will do a careful medical history and physical examination. Antibody tests can sometimes be used to help identify Lyme disease. Other tests may be done in certain situations.

Antibody tests

Antibody tests are the most commonly used tests to help identify Lyme disease.

It may take up to 2 months after becoming infected before antibodies can be detected in a blood test. Once formed, antibodies usually stay in your system for many years, even after successful treatment of the disease. Finding antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria does not tell whether you were infected recently or sometime in the past.

There are two types of antibody tests to detect Lyme disease.

  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This is a rapid test to identify Lyme disease antibodies.
  • Western blot test. This test also identifies Lyme disease antibodies and can confirm the results of an ELISA test. It is most often done to detect a chronic Lyme disease infection.

Antibody testing should be done in a two-step process, using the ELISA followed by the Western blot test. The Western blot test should be done for all people who've had a positive (or borderline positive) ELISA test.

Other tests

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing detects the genetic material (DNA) of the Lyme disease bacteria. PCR testing may be used to identify a current (active) infection if you have symptoms of Lyme disease that have not gotten better with antibiotic treatment. The PCR test is a blood or urine test, but can also be done on fluid from the spine or from a joint.