User:Marvin O'Neal/VlsE: Difference between revisions

Throughout the course of the disease IR6 produces a strong antibody response that can be identified from early to late phases, and which lasts for months to years following treatment.  Applications in diagnostic testing have been identified as a result of this strong immune response and IR6’s relative invariability across strains (4, 5).  A C6 ELISA test has been developed which uses a 26-mer synthetic peptide with the IR6 sequence.  Results show 99% specificity and 100% precision with high sensitivity.  In fact, OspA vaccination does not influence C6 specificity; therefore, C6 ELISA tests are valuable diagnostic tools for patients vaccinated against OspA.  The CDC currently recommends a two-step test incorporating first an ELISA followed by a Western blot to eliminate false positives.  Therefore, this one-step ELISA test presents an economical and more accurate improvement over the current two-step model (4). <br />