Boulder Diagnostics has announced the European launch of its SpiroFind Lyme disease test. The test can detect active Lyme Borreliosis at all stages of the disease. It works by detecting a patient’s immune system response to the Borrelia organism.
Boulder Diagnostics is dedicated to bringing new diagnostic tests to market for diseases that are not reliably diagnosed today. It works with academic institutions and innovative companies to identify scientific breakthroughs that can deliver new, reliable diagnostic tests where today’s standard methods fail.
"We are proud to offer this important new tool for the correct diagnosis of Lyme disease,” Dr. Wolfgang Pieken, CEO of Boulder Diagnostics Inc., said in a statement. "The SpiroFind test is the first method to query the trained immunity to Borrelia infection as a signal for active disease."
"At our clinical laboratory in Mellrichstadt, Germany, we now accept whole blood samples for testing by the SpiroFind method," said Dr. Anton Waldherr, laboratory physician of Boulder Diagnostics Europe.
The company said that the test’s effectiveness was found by a clinical study Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center and has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication next year.
Lyme disease is spread through insect bites, especially from ticks. Factors for Lyme Disease include walking in tall grass, having pets that can carry ticks and working outdoors.
The disease is divided into three stages: Stage 1, where the infection is localized, Stage 2, when the disease has begun to spread through the body, and Stage 3, where it has disseminated through the patient’s body. A rash resembling a “bull’s eye” around the area of the bite is also often apparent.
Early symptoms include fever, itching throughout the entire body, headache, a general ill-feeling, light-headedness and a stiff neck. Second stage symptoms include weakness or paralysis of facial muscles, muscle pain or join swelling and heart problems. Late stage symptoms include abnormal muscle movement, muscle weakness, numbness and tingling, and problems with speech.
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics and pain medications. The members of one high school research project developing a vaccine for the disease Leishmaniasis, were awarded a $6,000 scholarship. Leishmaniasis, like Lyme disease, is transmitted through an insect bite.
Edited by
Rachel Ramsey
