Thread by @BeauxReliosis

Here’s how #LymeDisease testing is rigged.

1. Allen #Steere discovered a genetic association between strong immune response & arthritis.

2. Only about 15% of people fit that profile

Continued…

https://twitter.com/Lyme_X/status/1539263370330640386

3. SmithKline needed to *not* diagnose #LymeDisease for their #LYMErix #vaccine trials

4. So they convinced the feds to rig the disease definition so a case of #Lyme = #LymeArthritis ONLY

Continued…

5. This is why #LymeDisease diagnostics are like antibody bingo—rigged to ID only the highly reactive arthritis-prone cases which represent a small minority

6. #LYMErix looked super effective in phase III because the tests would never DX more than 15% of cases!

Continued…

7. And now the #LymeDisease definition excluded the more common signs & symptoms like flu-ishness, fatigue, etc, so those weren’t even considered during #LYMErix trials.

8. The BOGUS #LymeDisease test methodology is used to screen samples for CDC’s serum repository

Continued..

9. And the CDC #LymeSerumRepository is considered the #GoldStandard for validation of other #LymeDisease diagnostics.

DO YOU SEE WHAT THEY DID THERE???

Wait. There’s more…

10. Since the CDC #LymeDisease #LymeSerumRepository skews almost exclusively toward the 15% of late-Lyme arthritis cases, with antibodies developing long after tick bite, the bogus test method is terribly insensitive in early #LymeArthritis.

Meaning….

11. The CDC-recommended 2-tier test method in use for 28 years catches ONLY the #LymeArthritis (15%) cases, and it detects only about 40% of those cases within the first few weeks.

12. So, when people like #TBDWG & @Lyme_X say “we need better #LymeDisease tests!”

…….

13. What they’re really saying is, “we need to do better at diagnosing late #LymeArthritis early!” It has absolutely zero to do with helping us sick people in the other 85% get a diagnosis.

And that’s why this whole @Lyme_x thing is such a pathetic joke.

#LymeDisease