Search is on for a more accurate Lyme disease test

You just pulled a deer tick off your body — now what?

For Long Islanders, who live in one of the nation’s Lyme disease hot spots, the first thought may be to rush to the doctor’s office or clinic for a blood test.

But experts say it would be a waste of time, at least in this scenario. Current federally-approved tests for Lyme disease take weeks or months to detect the body's response to the bacteria that causes the illness. Testing too early could give false negative results.

"In the first 4 to 6 weeks of Lyme disease, the tests are less than 30% effective," said Holly Ahern, a microbiologist developing a new, more sensitive test to detect Lyme disease. That time period "also happens to be the stage when antibiotic treatment is most effective."

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

Current Lyme d