Will the regular blood test and western blot test for lyme disease rule out someone having it?

It is a good test..: Enzyme-linked immunassay is a sreening test which if positive will be confirmed with a western-blot (=standard of testing). Although not absolutely 100%, a negative western blot is a good bet that there is no lyme at the time of testing. Early disease/infection may have negative test, thus recommended retesting in about 3 wks. Lyme dna testing is better, but more expensive. Consult doc..Good luck.

Appropriate context: Tests such as elisa or western blots are not enough to diagnose lyme. The appropriate clinical context is also needed. If the patient has never been to environments where he or she can be bitten by ticks that cause lyme (eg. Ixodes scapularis or ixodes pacifica), then testing is not really necessary. A positive result withotu exposure may represent a false (+) result or crossreactivity.