07/01 Brochure: How to Get an Accurate PCR Test & List of Laboratories

[Guest guest]

Mycoplasma Registry for gulf war illness & chronic fatigue syndrome

& Leslee Dudley, 303 47th Street J10, San Diego CA 92102-5961

Tel/fax: (619) 266-1116, e-mail: mailto:mycoreg@... (juno.com)

On-line Registry form:

http://users.skynet.be/nvdeynde/mycoplasma/mycoreg/regform.htm

e-mail announcement list:

MycoplasmaRegistry

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

M Y C O P L A S M A R E G I S T R Y

for gulf war illness & chronic fatigue syndrome

Brochure:

" HOW TO GET AN ACCURATE

POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR) BLOOD TEST

for Mycoplasmal and Other Infections "

© July 2001 by A. Dudley & Leslee M. Dudley

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mycoplasmal infections are found in patients with: Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Illness, AIDS, autoimmune diseases,

Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Scleroderma, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,

Multiple Sclerosis, Leukemia and other diseases.

Names of Tests to Order

The top three pathogens that Mycoplasma Registry patients test positive

for on PCR blood tests:

Mycoplasma fermentans

HHV-6a

Chlamydia pneumoniae

Others pathogens found individually or in combination with the other

infections are:

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mycoplasma hominis

Mycoplasma genitalium

Mycoplasma penetrans

Ureaplasma urealyticum

Types of Mycoplasma Tests

1. MOST ACCURATE of the PCR blood tests is the original, standard

individual test for a specific species. It has an accuracy rate of 95%.

2. " Multiplex " ( " 3 in 1 " or " 4 in 1 " ) multi-species Mycoplasma PCR blood

tests are less expensive but their accuracy has not yet been established.

3. Antibody Test - least accurate of the blood tests, it is not as

accurate as PCR. People generally only make antibodies to Mycoplasma

fermentans incognitus when they are near death. However, people make

antibodies to the other mycoplasma species more readily.

4. Culture - Mycoplasmas are rarely successfully cultured, as they

require specialized culture mediums and weeks of careful laboratory work.

Recommendations

* Do not perform the General (or Family) Mycoplasma species screening

test. It is not as accurate as hoped. This test should never be used

by physicians as a screening test for mycoplasmal infections in patients.

* Have the blood drawn at the testing lab. If that is impractical, the

second best solution is to have the blood delivered to the lab within 24

hours. If a sample of blood containing mycoplasmas is left at room

temperature, within 24 hours half the mycoplasmas are dead and within 72

hours all are dead. Once dead, they disintegrate and the specific

genetic sequences needed to be found for PCR amplification will have

vanished.

* Have the blood sample drawn later in the day if you are shipping

overnight. This shortens the hours before the sample is processed.

Also, have the blood drawn early in the week, rather than on a Friday, so

that the sample arrives on a day when the lab is open, rather than

sitting unprocessed over the weekend.

* Ship blood samples with blue ice, keeping the sample at a refrigerated

temperature. Place some packing material between the blood sample and

the blue ice to prevent the blood sample from touching the blue ice.

This avoids freezing of the blood sample, which causes coagulation,

ruining the sample for testing.

* Do not take any antibiotics at least one month or more before a PCR

blood test. The antibiotics will remove most of the infection from the

blood, preventing an accurate result. This restriction also applies to

natural products that kill mycoplasmas, such as colloidal silver, flax

seed oil and fish oils.

* Do not take vitamins, herbs or supplements that boost the immune

system and might reduce the mycoplasma count. Examples would be Vitamin

C, IP6, immune boosters, garlic, transfer factor, olive leaf extract,

etc. Unfortunately, no research exists to guide patients on how long

they should avoid these products before drawing blood.

* The best time to have blood drawn is when the patient is symptomatic.

Mycoplasmas can become dormant from time to time, so if a patient is

feeling well it might not be the best time to test.

* If patients receive a negative result, but are still symptomatic, they

should be retested. Review our suggestions for how and when to be tested

to see if they were followed. Discuss the merits of retesting with your

physician.

* Patients should be tested before beginning antibiotic treatment.

However, some patients start antibiotics before being tested as an

experiment to see if they will show improvement. Then, to avoid a

relapse, they refuse to stop using antibiotics before taking a PCR test.

Unfortunately, once they start antibiotics, they risk getting a false PCR

result. Even if the patient stops taking antibiotics for one to

several months, there is no guarantee that the PCR test will then find

mycoplasmas in their blood stream. This leaves patients unsure of their

infection(s) and they may not be taking the most effective antibiotic(s).

Also, without a positive test result, physicians are reluctant to

prescribe long term antibiotic treatment.

* For patients already on antibiotics, there may be an alternative to

PCR; Antibody Tests. Though traditional antibody tests are generally

not as accurate as PCR, detection may be possible if a patient has

developed antibodies to mycoplasmas. Test accuracy increases the longer

the patient has been on antibiotics.

###

LABORATORIES THAT OFFER

PCR & ANTIBODY BLOOD TESTS

FOR MYCOPLASMA, CHLAMYDIA & HHV-6a INFECTIONS

UNITED STATES

_______________________________

Immunosciences Lab., Inc.

8693 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Toll-free: (800) 950-4686

Phone: (310) 657-1077

Fax: (310) 657-1053

e-mail: mailto:immunsci@...

website: http://www.immuno-sci-lab.com

[Offers PCR and antibody mycoplasma tests]

Medical Diagnostic Laboratories

133 Gaither Drive, Suite C

Mt. Laurel, New Jersey 08054

Toll-free: (877) 269-0090

Phone: (609) 608-1696

Fax: (609) 608-1667

e-mail: mailto:SALES@...

website: http://www.mdlab.com

The Arthritis Research Center

504 E. Diamond Avenue, Suite I

Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Phone: (301) 216-1231

Fax: (301) 216-0302

[Offers PCR and antibody mycoplasma tests]

GeneTex

14785 Omicron Dr. Suite 101

San , TX 78245

Toll-free: (877) GENETEX (436-3839)

Phone: (210) 677-8529

Fax: (210) 677-8843

e-mail: mailto:support@...

website: http://www.genetex.com

US Biotek Laboratories, Inc.

13758 Lake City Way NE

Seattle, WA 98125

Phone: (206) 365-1256

Fax: (206) 363-8790

e-mail: Customer Service: mailto:info@...

website: http://www.usbiotek.com/index.htm

International Molecular Diagnostics, Inc.

15162 Triton Lane

Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1041

Toll-free: (888) 882-8838

Phone: (714) 799-7177

Fax: (714) 799-9787

Client Services: (714) 902-2323

e-mail: mailto:clientservice@...

website: http://www.imd-lab.com

BELGIUM

______________________________

R.E.D. LABORATORIES

Pontbeek 61

B-1731 Zellik

Belgium

Phone: 32-2-481-5310

Fax: 32-2-481-5311

e-mail: mailto:info@...

website: http://www.redlabs.com

Kenny De Meirleir M.D., PH.D.

KRO gebouw niveau - 1

Laarbeeklaan 101

1090 Brussels

Belgium

Phone: 32-2-477-4600

Fax: 32- 2-477- 4607

ENGLAND

_______________________________

Nutri-Link Ltd.

[u.K. representative of Immunosciences Lab., Inc.]

8A Powderham Road

Newton Abbot

Devon

TQ12 1EU

England

Phone: 44-16-2620-5417

Fax: 44-16-2620-5418

Micropathology Limited

University of Warwick Science Park

Barclays Venture Center

Sir Lyons Road

Coventry, U.K.

CV4 7EZ

Phone: 44-01-2033-2322 or 02476 323000

AUSTRALIA

_______________________________

Melbourne Forensic Diagnostic Services

Albert Street Medical Center

Level 5

372-376 Albert St.

East Melbourne, 3002

Australia

Phone: 613-9415-1833

Fax: 613-9416-5309

LABORATORIES THAT OFFER OTHER

USEFUL TESTS FOR CFS/FM/GWI PATIENTS

Hyper-coagulation Tests

_______________________________

HEMEX LABORATORY

2505 West Beryl Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85021-1461

Toll-free: (800) 999-CLOT (2568)

Phone: (602) 997-9161

Fax: (602) 997-1406

e-mail: mailto:clients@...

website: http://www.hemex.com

Lyme Disease Tests

_______________________________

IGeneX Inc.

797 San Road

Palo Alto, CA 94303

Toll-free: (800) 832-3200

Phone: (650) 424-1191

Fax: (650) 424-1196

e-mail: mailto:igenex@...

website: http://www.igenex.com

HHV-6a Virus Tests

_______________________________

ViraCor

1210 NE Windsor Drive

Lee's Summit, MO 64086

Toll-free: (800) 305-5198

Fax: (816) 347-0143

e-mail: mailto:info@...

website: http://www.viracor.com

Candidiasis Tests

_______________________________

AAL Reference Laboratories, Inc.

1715 E. Wilshire # 715

Santa Ana, CA 92705

Toll Free: (800) 522-26

Phone: (714) 972-9979

Fax: (714) 543-2034

e-mail: mailto:inquire@...

website: http://www.antibodyassay.com

Rickettsia Tests

_______________________________

Laboratory of Dr. Cecil Jadin

Postnet Suite 182

Private Bag X3

Northriding, 2162

Johannesburg, South Africa

###

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

© July 2001 A. Dudley & Leslee M. Dudley, Mycoplasma Registry for

Gulf War Illness & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Content of Mycoplasma

Registry Reports, brochures, booklets and forms is the intellectual

property of Mycoplasma Registry. Any copying, republication or

redistribution of the content of Mycoplasma Registry Reports, brochures,

booklets and forms is expressly prohibited without the prior written

consent of Mycoplasma Registry.

Printed versions of the brochure " How to Get an Accurate PCR Blood Test

for Mycoplasmal & Other Infections " ©, with an updated list of

laboratories, are available upon request. We are an unincorporated

nonprofit association, California Reg. No. 6679. To cover our expenses

and to continue our work and research, donations would be greatly

appreciated. Please make checks payable to: Mycoplasma Registry.

MYCOPLASMA REGISTRY

& Leslee Dudley

303 47th Street, J10

San Diego, California 92102-5961

Tel/Fax: (619) 266-1116

e-mail: mailto:mycoreg@... (juno.com)

e-mail announcement list:

MycoplasmaRegistry

to subscribe: mailto:MycoplasmaRegistry-subscribe

()

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *