In one clinical study (Stricker and Winger, 2001) a decrease in the CD57+/CD3- cell absolute count was shown to correlate with the presence of chronic Lyme disease diagnosed clinically and supported by positive serologic studies for B. bergdorferi. CD57+/CD3- levels were not decreased in cases of acute Lyme disease or HIV infection. Persisting low levels after treatment correlated with refractory chronic Lyme disease, while patients responsive to therapy showed increasing levels. CD57 abnormalities can be seen in a variety of conditions other than Lyme disease, and changes are not considered specific for Lyme disease.
Rejection Criteria:
Poor cell viability; clotting; hemolysis; specimen age greater than 48 hours.
MEDICARE MAY REQUIRE A SIGNED ADVANCE BENEFICIARY NOTICE (ABN) FOR THIS TEST
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