That's correct. So the current two-step testing focuses on one strain of the Borrelia, and is not as sensitive to picking up the many other bacteria that, of course, are carried by ticks. There's no question that there are multiple strains of Borrelia and multiple different bacteria that can be carried by a tick in wildlife. So we certainly concur that the association between this particular Borrelia strain with Lyme disease is quite well established, and the two-step testing has so far demonstrated the best way for us to minimize the false positives.
With regard to the tests available in the United States, they have been looked at very closely in the recent past. We'll continue to look at them, of course, because we do want, as I said, to bring the best methodologies forward in terms of the diagnostic testing.
There are really two issues that have been identified. One of them is around the interpretive criteria that the laboratory technical staff apply in interpreting the results. We feel that currently there's the potential for too many false positives in the way in which those criteria are implemented in the United States. So we're very much mindful of the limitations of the current testing. As a result, the agency, through our laboratory in Winnipeg, will in fact be investing in assessing those methodologies, the current ones in the U.S. and other ones that come online in the near future elsewhere, even in Europe. We'd love to cross the globe to find those tests, as we would also, ourselves in-house, help develop testing in the future. So it's very much on our radar. That's why it's one of the three key pillars of the action plan.
If we don't have a good diagnosis, it's very hard to provide early care and treatment. That's why we end up focusing clinicians on really diagnosing the person, and whether or not the person has been in an area of the country where they could have been exposed to ticks. They will look at how they're presenting. Of course, they'll need to rule out other health conditions that may also have some similar symptoms.
So we do appreciate that more work is needed to provide guidance to physicians and laboratories in that area.