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Need Help Reading Results: Lymes & Brucella (Brucellosis) (Please Help)

Hi Everyone,
I have undergone testing for Lymes and various zoonotic diseases. This time, the Infectious Disease Doctor tested for Brucella AB (IGG; IGM). Below, are my results:

The TEST: Brucella AB (IGG; IGM) W/REFEL TO AGGLUTINATION

Brucella IGG: 0.06

Brucella IGM: 0.53

It says the reference range is: <0.80

and the Interpretive Criteria is:

or = 1.10: Antibody detected

My question is: if any antibody is detected, am I positive for Lymes?

Any information is so very appreciated and I just want to say that everyone who are going thru Lymes are some of most courageous and amazing people!

Thank you so much and again, any help with these results is so very appreciated.

Cheers to health!
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Avatar universal
Hello,
  I also have symptoms of a crushing headache ..Head tender to the touch..Insomnia. Nausia,Fatigue,  Had catscan MRI.. the  bloodwork that came back from a spinal tap is
Rheumotoid factor 114 which is high
Brucella IGG 0.16
Brucella IGM 0.88
He said because of my high rheumotoid  factor it is causing those numbers for Brucellosis..

Does anyone know if that is true? I am having a problem believing him.I know it is a complicated disease..I live in New jersey area and need to find a doctor that knows about this disease..I am now taking Predisone 2.5mg to keep the headache supressed also my neurologist put me on amitriptyline 25mg twice per day...
Please also any help..I cant live like this forever..I had to leave my job...Cry everyday because I am in pain..
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Avatar universal
Is he being treated for Brucellosis?  It seems like there is little information out there about it, although it does sound hard to kill.  I presume long term antibiotics are prescribed, but I don't know much more than that.  I'd love to know what his doc recommends.
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Avatar universal
My husband has Brucellosis .His number are.   Igg 3..60   Igm 4.69
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Avatar universal
My husband has Brucellosis .His number are.   Igg 3..60   Igm 4.69
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Avatar universal
I think "reference range of less than .8 means that a result less than that is considered negative. I don't know what it means when it says "or equal to 1.10."  

What is interesting to me is that the IgM number says you are indeed making brucella antibodies.  While it is not quite high enough to be "positive" according to the lab, it is not just a trace amount.

I assume you tested negative for Lyme?  What was the result? I ask because some of us test false negative.  Infectious Disease doctors are taught that a negative excludes Lyme, but it really doesn't. You can show Lyme specific antibodies even if you test CDC negative.  IGeneX is a lab that shows bands the CDC ignores, especially those on the IgM portion of the Western Blot.

Brucella sounds like a tough bug to kill.  I didn't know anything about it before.  And the symptoms are surprisingly like Lyme.  (I wonder how many people are treated for Lyme and just don't recover also have Brucellosis?)

What symptoms,are you having?
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Avatar universal
So that's the download I can find on brucellosis, but it doesn't answer your question about Lyme.

Lyme results would be on a separate section or page, because they are two different diseases.  Did the doc's office not give you anything else?  

Sometimes the people at the front desk 'forget' to copy it all.  Grrrr.

If this is all you got, I would call back tomorrow and ask them to give/fax/email the rest of the pages.  I think in most places you are entitled by law to have copies of all your test results, but that may be different in different states .... however if they gave you SOME of the results, they should give you ALL of them, y'know?

Let us know what you get ------  take care!  Glad you're following up and pressing ahead.  
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Avatar universal
[part 4, continuing from previous message section]

"Later symptoms may include brain infection (encephalitis), hepatitis, endocarditis (heart), spondylitis, prostatitis, anaemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, meningitis, uveitis, optic neuritis and neurological disorders.

"Mothers who are breast feeding may pass the infection to children.  Sexual transmission has been reported.

"Treatment can be difficult and is not always curative.  Antibiotics, or combinations of antibiotics, are used to try to eliminate the infection."
=============================================

More importantly, what does your doc say?

[end part 4, end of message]
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Avatar universal
[part 3]

From wikipedia:
=============================================
"Brucella are small parasites that can cause acute and chronic disease in both animals and humans.  

"Brucellosis is most often spread to humans by eating or drinking unsterilized milk, raw cheese (especially goat cheese), meat products from infected animals, or having close contact with their waste products.  Ticks have been known to pass the infection and transmission from human to human (mother to infant, sexual transmission) is possible.

"The bacteria, discovered in the 19th century, can be shed from an infected cow at or around the time of calving.  Cattle can also harbor the bacteria in their reproductive tracts.  Brucella can be transmitted to uninfected dogs through breeding and contact with fetuses of infected animals.  Dogs can harbor the bacteria in the genitals, eyes and kidneys. Symptoms of brucellosis in dogs include abortion in female dogs and scrotal inflammation in males.  Fever is uncommon.

"Brucellosis can infect humans that come in contact with infected aborted tissue or semen from dogs, cattle and other animals.  As in humans, the disease is treated with antibiotics, but it is often difficult to cure.

"Symptoms in humans may include day and night sweats with odors, headaches, fluctuating fevers, nervousness, weakness, anorexia, arthritis, chills. depression, malaise, joint pain, insomnia, constipation, impotence, and muscle pain.

[end of part 3]
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Avatar universal
[part 2:]

From your message above, with my comments in [square brackets]:  
=============================================
"As to the results themselves, I'm a little confused by the results:

Brucella IGG: 0.06
Brucella IGM: 0.53

It says the reference range is: <0.80 -- [my comment:  therefore anything UNDER 0.80 is positive for the infection?  that seems backwards]  

and the Interpretive Criteria is:

or = 1.10: Antibody detected -- [my comment:  is something missing here?]
=============================================
=============================================

[end part 2]

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Avatar universal
Welcome to MedHelp Lyme!  (This message will be in 2 or 3 pieces below)

Sorry you find need to be here, but glad you're searching for answers.

I have heard of brucellosis, but from a quick read online just now, it sounds like it is an entirely separate infection from Lyme.  Both are bacterial, but different bacteria.

There is a website called drjoneskids that has the following write up on brucellosis (Dr Jones is a well known doc who specializes in children, but treats grown ups too, as far as I know).

Something else I read just now said that brucellosis has a complex set of symptoms just as Lyme does, and sometimes docs will misdiagnosis brucellosis for Lyme since both are considered rare and not well known by many docs.

That your doc has even looked into this is a good sign, I think.

(end of part 1)
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