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Serology specificity of chronic active infections

The serological specificity of the presence of an active infection in these conditions is that the standard way of diagnosis of acute infections – an elevation of IgM antibodies followed after a few weeks of elevated IgG antibody – does not fit in the detection of chronic infections in these patients. Chronic reactivating infections, such as those mentioned above, do not stimulate IgM antibodies, as they are not new infections but rather intracellular reactivating infections. So most doctors, including infectious disease specialists, will tell patients who have elevated IgG antibodies that they had an old infection or previous exposure and that there is no evidence of, or they do not have, an acute infection – because that is what they learned in medical school. They will miss the opportunity of diagnosing a reactivation of an old infection responsible for fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, with the missed opportunity for effective treatment in most cases, even for a permanent cure.

Complicating the diagnostic process, in addition to the lack of IgM antibodies, and generally low sensitivity of serological tests (including PCR – polymerase chain reaction), an impaired immune system may not reveal the presence of IgG antibodies (there is what is called an immune-incompetence) despite the presence of an active reinfection.
Recall the fact that these infections are not concentrated in the blood but rather in the tissues, especially nerves, brain and within the white blood cells.

Thus, the absence of positive serology for these infections does not eliminate them. In front of a strong diagnostic suspicion, it is legitimate to try these treatments.

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