Preferred Minimum: 6 mL CSF
Absolute Minimum: 2.5 mL CSF

With a traumatic tap CSF from tube #3 is preferred.

Bacterially contaminated, heat-inactivated, hemolyzed, or xanthochromic specimens.

1-4 days upon receipt at reference laboratory

0.90 IV: Negative - VlsE1 and pepC10 antibodies to B. burgdorferi not detected.

0.91-1.09 IV: Equivocal - Repeat testing in 10-14 days may be helpful.
1.10 IV or greater: Positive - VlsE1 and pepC10 antibodies to
                     B. burgdorferi detected.

The detection of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in cerebrospinal fluid may indicate central nervous system infection. However, consideration must be given to possible contamination by blood or transfer of serum antibodies across the blood-brain barrier. Lyme disease diagnosis in serum is recommended prior to any CSF studies.

Note - Once this test is performed, if:
  a) Negative - no further testing is done.
  b) Positive or equivocal - Immunoblot testing will be performed on
     the original sample upon receiving a request. Sample will be held
     for 30 days only.

Semi-Quantitative Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/Qualitative Immunoblot