Lyme disease testing by large commercial laboratories in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Laboratory testing is helpful when evaluating patients with suspected Lyme disease (LD). A 2-tiered antibody testing approach is recommended, but single-tier and nonvalidated tests are also used. We conducted a survey of large commercial laboratories in the United States to assess laboratory practices. We used these data to estimate the cost of testing and number of infections among patients from whom specimens were submitted.

Methods

Large commercial laboratories were asked to report the type and volume of testing conducted nationwide in 2008, as well as the percentage of positive tests for 4 LD-endemic states. The total direct cost of testing was calculated for each test type. These data and test-specific performance parameters available in published literature

SUBMITTER: Hinckley AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4646413 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature