Testing for Lyme Disease uses a two tier system:

First step uses a test called the Elisa. The accuracy of Elisa testing is only near 40 percent.

If you test negative on the Elisa you will not be tested using the Second step of the two tier system. You still have a 60 percent chance of having Lyme Disease. But will be told you are negative for Lyme Disease.

Second step is a Western Blot if you test positive on the Elisa you will be tested using a more specific test called the Western Blot. This type of testing is near 50 percent accurate.

The problem with testing is that it looks for antibodies created to fight the infection and in many patients infected with Lyme Disease these antibodies are not present.

This two tier system was designed for reporting the incidence of Lyme Disease to the CDC and was never intended as a diagnostic tool. But many doctors use these inaccurate tests to rule out Lyme Disease.

If you have symptoms of Lyme Disease you should be clinically diagnosed according to symptoms.

Click here for a list of symptoms experienced by patients with Persistent Lyme Disease infection

If you have 5 or more of the symptoms on the list and tested negative for Lyme Disease you will need to see a physician who specializes in Lyme Disease in order to get properly diagnosed.