°  Sample required: one 10 mL SST (tiger top) decanted serum
°  Lab reporting time: 3 - 4 business days

Please note: Lab reporting time has increased for this panel due to new California Dept. of Health requirements on quality assurance. - Sept. 2005

Overview
The Parasite Antibodies Profile II uses serum to assess the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to the common parasites Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia.

Clinical Aspects
The IgM antibody is the early responder. IgM is elevated during the early stages of an exposure to a parasite. There are two possible outcomes, either the immune system will eradicate the parasite or the parasite will begin to colonize and infect the body. If IgM is the only elevated antibody to a parasite, it must be correlated with active symptoms to warrant treatment. If asymptomatic, it is quite possible that the patient's immune system has won the battle with the parasite on its own. If treatment is not chosen at this time, it would be prudent to retest in 2-3 months to make sure that the patients' immune system has in fact eradicated the infection.

The IgG antibody is the long term responder. IgG elevations mean that either a long term chronic infection exists that was either treated or untreated, or it is indicative of a protective antibody from a past infection that was resolved. The patient must be asked about current symptoms and past parasite infections and treatments in order to distinguish clinically relevant results. If necessary, other lab tests may be indicated to clinically correlate all data to a final accurate diagnosis.

This test in conjunction with the GI Pathogen Screen, BHD #401 is essential for ruling in or ruling out both acute and chronic common parasite infections that are involved in a multitude of diseases as well as general feelings of ill health.

Conditions Assessed
The evaluation of serum antibodies to these common parasite infections increases detection of acute and chronic common parasite infections.

Logical Sequence of Testing
The logical sequence of using this test as an initial or a follow-up test is determined by a variety of individual considerations, including the patient's chief complaint, the array of signs and symptoms, the chronicity of the condition, the tests previously taken, and the judgment of the practitioner. Technical assistance is available from BioHealth Diagnostics' support staff.