The testing question is simple, but the answer is not! E.g., this seven-year-old FDA bulletin on Lyme testing is quite misleading, as it points to a CDC test method that was designed for surveillance – not diagnostics. This crappy test often leads to false negatives, as it only tests a small number of “biomarkers” of the Lyme bug:
http://www.fda.gov/medbull/summer99/Lyme.html
If you are curious about the accuracy of the test, join the club. But to be fair, it’s a tricky test. For example, try this search and check out the results – there are many reasons why a patient’s results could be seronegative:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=reasons+for+lyme+s...y&btnG=Google+ Search
Again, most hospitals and clinics use this cheap, easy and crappy test. It’s hard to believe, but it’s the norm. At least in Taxachusetts.
There are some good labs out there, ones that test for an accurate number of Borrellia markers (Lyme bacteria) as well as other bacterial co-infections. Here’s one in CA (click on Lyme disease):
http://www.igenex.com/
Hope this helps.