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Which hhv6 lab test? Eia vs ifa

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
PCR will usually be negative in ME/CFS, due to very little virus being in the blood. Antibody tests by EIA/ELISA may be slightly more sensitive than IFA, but there's not much in it.
 
Messages
55
My main goal of testing for hhv6 is to look for elevated titers to see if Valganciclovir would be a more successful treatment. So sounds like the EIA would accomplish that?
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
My main goal of testing for hhv6 is to look for elevated titers to see if Valganciclovir would be a more successful treatment. So sounds like the EIA would accomplish that?

Yes, EIA for HHV-6 IgG antibodies I think would be fine. EIA usually means ELISA (ELISA is a particular type of EIA).

If you have substantially raised IgG antibodies, to an ME/CFS specialist that suggests chronic active infection.

But infectious disease specialists will dismiss raised IgG (when IgM is low); this is why it's important to go to an ME/CFS specialist and not an ID specialist if you have ME/CFS.