Coccidioides antibody test - spinal fluid

See: Lumbar puncture

In some cases, this test may be done as a blood test. See also: Coccidioides complement fixation

In the first stage of an illness, few antibodies may be detected. Antibody production increases during the course of an infection. For this reason, tests are often repeated several weeks after the first test is done.

Note: While an abnormal result on the spinal fluid test means that the central nervous system is infected, an abnormal result on the blood test does not pinpoint the exact area of infection. It only means that there is a coccidioides infection somewhere in the body.

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Review Date: 06/09/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)