The following information was delivered and copied by me from the yahoo cfs-mycoplasma group. I'm not an expert in this area so use this information as required.

• TYPES OF MYCOPLASMA TESTS

1. INDIVIDUAL: The most accurate of the PCR blood tests is the individual test for a specific species.

2. "MULTIPLEX": Multi-species ("3 in 1" or "4 in 1") mycoplasma PCR blood tests are less expensive but their accuracy rate may not be as high as individual species tests. Therefore, patients need to specifically ask
the laboratories for the published accuracy rate of their "multiplex" tests. Additionally, some laboratories identify a combination of tests for one price as a "panel" when in fact they are performing a "multiplex"
test.

3. ANTIBODY TEST: The least accurate of the blood tests. In the case of Mycoplasma fermentans (incognitus), antibodies are not produced until the patient is near death. However, antibodies to the other mycoplasma species are produced more readily.

4. CULTURE: Mycoplasmas are rarely successfully cultured, as they require specialized culture mediums and weeks of careful laboratory work. In some rare instances, culturing may be an alternative choice.

* * *

• Recommendations - "HOW TO GET AN ACCURATE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR)BLOOD TEST FOR MYCOPLASMAS"

— Do not perform the General (or Family) Mycoplasma species screening test. It is not as accurate as hoped. This test should never be used by physicians as a screening test for mycoplasmal infections in patients.

— Have the blood drawn at the testing lab. If that is impractical, the second best solution is to have the blood delivered to the lab within 24 hours. Blood samples left at room temperature for longer than
24 hours cause half the mycoplasmas to die and disintegrate. After 72 hours at room temperature all the mycoplasmas will have died and disintegrated. Once they disintegrate, the specific genetic sequences
needed for PCR amplification will have vanished, resulting in a false negative.

— Have the blood sample drawn later in the day if you are shipping overnight. This shortens the hours before the sample is processed. Also, have the blood drawn early in the week rather than on a Friday
so that the sample arrives on a day when the lab is open, rather than sitting unprocessed over the weekend.

— Ship blood samples with small packs of blue ice which keeps the sample at a refrigerated temperature (not frozen). Place some packing material between the blood sample and the blue ice to prevent the blood from
freezing, which causes coagulation, ruining the sample for testing.

— Do not take any antibiotics at least one month or longer before a PCR blood test. The antibiotics will remove most of the infection from the blood, reducing the chances of amplifying the specific genetic
sequences needed for an accurate result.

— Do not take vitamins, herbs or supplements that boost the immune system and/or kill mycoplasmas. Examples would be colloidal silver, flax seed oil, fish oils, vitamin C, IP6, immune boosters, garlic, transfer factor, olive leaf extract, etc. Unfortunately, no research exists to guide patients on how long they should avoid these products before drawing blood.

— The best time to have blood drawn is when the patient is symptomatic. Mycoplasmas can become dormant from time to time, so if a patient is feeling well it might not be the best time to test.

— If patients receive a negative result, but are still symptomatic, they should consider being retested. Review our recommended testing procedures to see if they were followed correctly. Discuss the merits
of retesting with your physician.

— Patients should never begin antibiotic treatment before being tested for a mycoplasmal infection. Some patients start antibiotics before being tested to see if they will show improvement. If they improve, they often refuse to stop using antibiotics before taking a PCR test due to relapses. Unfortunately, once antibiotics are started, the risk increases for getting a false PCR result, even if the patient stops
taking antibiotics later. This leaves patients unsure of their exact infection, preventing them from taking the most effective antibiotic. Without a positive test result, physicians often refuse to prescribe long term antibiotics.

— Antibody Tests may be an alternative to PCR for patients already on antibiotics. Although traditional antibody tests are generally not as accurate as PCR, detection may be possible if a patient has developed
mycoplasma antibodies.

• LABORATORIES TESTING FOR MYCOPLASMA & CO-INFECTIONS

United States

Ahmed Kilani, Ph.D., MT(ASCP)
President and Laboratory Director
Clongen Laboratories, LLC
Middlebrook Tech Park
12321 Middlebrook Road, Suite 120
Germantown, MD 20874

877-CLONGEN (256-6436) - Toll Free
301-916-0173 (Phone)
301-916-0175 (Fax)

website: www.clongen.com

e-mail: akil@clongen.com or Ahmed_Kilani@clongen.com

Medical Diagnostic Laboratories
133 Gaither Drive, Suite C
Mt. Laurel, New Jersey 08054
Toll-free: 877.269.0090
Tel: 609.608.1696
Fax: 609.608.1667
Email: mailto:SALES@MDLAB.COM
Website: http://www.mdlab.com
Mycoplasma tests:
http://www.mdlab.com/fees&servs/serv-mycoplasma.html

The Arthritis Research Center
504 E. Diamond Avenue
Suite I Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877
Tel: 301.216.1231
Fax: 301.216.0302
(Mycoplasma PCR and Antibody tests)

Immunosciences Lab., Inc.
8693 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200
Beverly Hills, California 90211
Toll-free: 800.950.4686
Tel: 310.657.1077
Fax: 310.657.1053
Email: mailto:immunsci@ix.netcom.com
Website: http://www.immuno-sci-lab.com
Mycoplasma tests:
http://www.immuno-sci-lab.com/2000_cat_toc3.htm#M

Prodesse
W229 N1870 Westwood Drive
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186
Toll-free: 888.589.6974
Tel: 262.446.0700
Fax: 262.446.0600
Email: mailto:custsvc@prodesse.com
Website: http://www.prodesse.com
Mycoplasma multiplex test:
http://www.prodesse.com/pneumoplexlab.html

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
One Malcolm Ave.
Teterboro, New Jersey 07608
Toll-free 800.222.0446
Tel: 201.393.5000
Fax: 201.462.4715
Website: http://www.questdiagnostics.com/index.html
Mycoplasma test menu:
http://cas2.questdiagnostics.com/scripts/dos.wls?wlapp=DOS
Contact Customer Service:
http://www.questdiagnostics.com/hcp/contactus/hcp_contact_cust_srv.html

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LH)
358 S. Main St.
Burlington, North Carolina 27215
Tel: 336.584.5171
Fax: 336.436.1205
Website: http://www.labcorp.com/
Mycoplasma tests:
http://www.labcorp.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=mycoplasma&ps=10

Focus Technologies, Inc.(Corporate Office)
13665 Dulles technology Drive, Suite 200
Herndon, Virginia 20171 USA
Tel: 703.480.2500
Fax: 703.480.2670
Website: http://www.focusanswers.com
Mycoplasma tests:
http://www.immuno-sci-lab.com/table_66_2000.htm

Focus Technologies, Inc., (Cypress Laboratory)
5785 Corporate Avenue
Cypress, California 90630
Toll-free: 800.445.0185
Tel: 714.220.1900
Fax: 714.220.9213
Website: http://www.focusanswers.com
Mycoplasma tests (click on "Test Listing" and then the letter "M":
http://www.focusanswers.com/default.asp?page=rLab&subPageOn=0&subPage=ini
t&sub2Page=init

Specialty Laboratories, Inc.
2211 Michigan Ave.
Santa Monica, California 90404-3900
Toll-free: 800.421.4449
Tel: 310.828.6543
Fax: 310.586.7275
Email: mailto:specialty@specialtylabs.com
Website: http://www.specialtylabs.com/main.html
Mycoplasma tests:
http://www.specialtylabs.com/tests/display.asp?catID=&keyword=mycoplasma&
searchtype=tests

Esoterix Infectious Disease Center
7540 Louis Pasteur Dr # 202
San Antonio, Texas 78229
Toll-free: 800.299.7350 or 800.661.4118
Toll-free: Client Services: 800.383.0980
Tel: 210.614.7350, 210.614.7350
Fax: 201.692.1411, 210.614.7355
Website: http://www.esoterix.com
Mycoplasma tests:
http://www.esoterix.com/manual/testDirResults.asp?TestCode=&Procedure=myc
oplasma&method=AND&Center=Infectious+Disease&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
(staphylococcus and mycoplasma tests)

IGeneX Inc.
797 San Antonio Road
Palo Alto, California 94303
Toll-free: 800.832.3200
Tel: 650.424.1191
Fax: 650.424.1196
Email: mailto:igenex@igenex.com
Website: http://www.igenex.com
Lyme & co-infections PCR tests: http://www.igenex.com/tickset3.htm

Bowen Research and Training Institute, Inc
P.O. Box 627
Palm Harbor, Florida 34682
Tel: 727.937.9077
Fax: 727.942.9687
Website: http://www.bowen.org/

ViraCor
1210 NE Windsor Drive
Lee's Summit, MO 64086
Toll-free: 800.305.5198
Fax: 816.347.0143
Email: mailto:info@ViraCor.com
Website: http://www.viracor.com
HHV-6a virus test:
http://www.viracor.com/diagnostic-virals-hhv6_overview.htm

Europe

R.E.D. LABORATORIES
Pontbeek 61
B-1731 Zellik,Belgium
Tel: 32-2-481-5310
Fax: 32-2-481-5311
Email: mailto:info@redlabs.com
Website: http://www.redlabs.com
Mycoplasma & co-infections PCR tests &
RNAP (RNase L Test in PBMC's):
http://www.redlabs.com/en/index.html

Pro Health Laboratorium
Schoutlaan 4a
6002 EA Weert
The Netherlands
Tel: (31)(0)495 545000
Fax: (31)(0)495 550722
E-mail: mailto:lab@prohealth.nl

Micropathology Ltd.
University of Warwick Science Park
Barclays Venture Centre
Sir William Lyons Road Coventry CV4 7EZ, United Kingdom
Tel: +44-(0)-24-76-323222
Fax: +44-(0)-24-76-323333
Email: mailto:info@micropathology.com
Website: http://www.micropathology.com
Mycoplasma tests:
http://www.micropathology.com/bacteria_list.htm

Nutri-Link Ltd.
8A Powderham Road
Newton Abbot, Devon
TQ12 1EU, England
Tel: +44-(0)-16-26-205417
Fax: +44-(0)-16-26-205418
[U.K. representative of Immunosciences Lab., Inc.
Sends blood to Beverly Hills, CA USA]

Australia

Australian Biologics Testing Services
6th Floor Fayworth House
383 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Tel: 61-2-9283-0807
Fax: 61-2-9283-0910
E-mail: mailto:austbio@mpx.com.au

• LABORATORIES THAT OFFER OTHER USEFUL TESTS

Candidiasis tests (Candida Immune Complexes #323):
AAL Reference Laboratories, Inc.
1715 E. Wilshire # 715
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Toll-free: 800.522.2611
Tel: 714.972.9979
Fax: 714.543.2034
Email: mailto:inquire@aalrl.com
Website: http://www.antibodyassay.com

Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory/Genovations™
63 Zillicoa Street
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
Toll-free: 800.522.4762
Tel: 828.253.0621
Fax: 828.252.9303
Email: lisab@gsdl.com
Website: http://www.gsdl.com
Helicobacter Pylori tests:
http://www.gsdl.com/assessments/heliobacter/
Clostridium difficile tests:
http://www.gsdl.com/assessments/cdsa/appguide/index4.html