The current blood test for Lyme disease has low accuracy. In this study, the authors designed and tested a new blood test that is more accurate. They used portions of proteins, called peptides, from Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. For a patient to be scored as positive, their blood had to contain antibodies that would recognize at least 2 of the 10 bacterial peptides. This test was more sensitive than the current blood test, and could be developed into a newer generation of diagnostic test for Lyme disease.
