Tick Identification & Testing
Tick identification and testing: Bring the tick to the San Mateo County Public Health Laboratory , located at 225 West 37th Avenue , San Mateo. To contact the laboratory, please call 573-2500. There is a $25 processing fee.
Tick identification only: San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District , located at 1351 Rollins Rd, Burlingame also performs tick identification but does not perform testing related to bites. To contact SMCMCD, call 344-8592. There is no fee for tick identification. Please contact the Public Health Lab for all tick testing requests.
When dropping off a tick specimen, please provide us with contact information, location of tick bite, and duration of tick contact. Your tick must first be identified to determine if it is the Western Black-legged Tick, the species that transmits Lyme Disease. If so, the next step will be to test for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the micro-organism that causes Lyme Disease, in the ticks stomach. The tick must be intact in order for this test to be performed.
If You Find A Tick It Is Important To Send It To A Tick Testing Lab Or Your Local Health Department To Test For Pathogens Learning More About The Tick And Potential Pathogens It Is Carrying May Aid In Your Diagnosis Submitting Your Tick For Testing Is Vital To Help Researchers And Others Better Understand Our Overall Risk Of Exposure To A Tick
National lab order a comprehensive TickReport and learn what disease causing microbes the tick may be carrying, including pathogens that cause Lyme disease.Cost: Check lab for fees
Tick testing for residents of Connecticut. Visit CAES website to find your local health department.Cost: Free
Greenwich Department of Health
All residents are encouraged to check themselves, their children and pets for ticks after being outdoors. If a tick is found, remove it with fine tipped tweezers, place in a plastic bag and bring it to the lab. All ticks may be tested for the Lyme disease and Babesiosis organisms. Results of this test will be available in about a week. . Please call or visit the Lab for more information. 203-622-7843
National lab provides testing services for the detection of B. burgdorferi and B. microti by PCR. This testing is performed on deer ticks only.Cost: Check lab for fees
Tick testing for residents of Maine onlyCost: Free
National lab tests multiple tick species and pathogensCost: Check lab for fees
National lab tests multiple tick species and pathogensCost: Check lab for fees
National lab provides tick testing servicesCost: Check lab for fees
How To Submit A Tick For Testing
*Please note that you were referred by UNH Extension.
UNH Extension has teamed up with UMass’s TickReportTM to provide this tick identification and testing service.
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Removing And Storing Your Tick
If you find a tick attached to you or your pet, dont panic. Carefully remove and save the tick for identification and testing. Follow these instructions:
Tick Removal: Grasp the tick with tweezers or tissue as close to your skin as possible. Gently pull the tick straight upward from the skin- no twisting or unscrewing. Do not attempt removal by using nail polish remover, kerosene, or Vaseline.
Another option for tick removal is to loop some sewing thread around the tick and as close to the skin as possible . Basically you will be looping the thread around the ticks mouthpart, which is embedded in the skin. Once you have it tightly wound around the tick gently pull upward. You will have lassoed the tick around its mouth, which will force to come out. This method is a good way of insuring you dont pop the tick, which is not good since it is infected and you dont want to have contact with infected fluids.
Tick Storage: The tick must be kept moist. Place the tick in a small container with 1 or 2 drops of water or saline solution. A small piece of damp cotton or tissue inside the container also works. Do not use other liquids such as alcohol or formaldehyde solutions, since the tick may absorb it and explode, making it impossible to test.
When Am I Likely To Find Ticks
- The Ixodes ticks have a two-year life cycle. The ticks life stages are active at different times of the year.
- Adult deer ticks are most active during spring and mid to late fall. Nymph activity peaks in late June and larvae are most active in August and September. Larvae rarely attach to humans.
- Although tick activity is fairly seasonal, ticks can be active at any time temperatures are above freezing. Ticks are most active above 40 degrees Farenheit.
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Tickchekcom Support Call Sheet
FAQ
Can you test dead/live/crushed/preserved ticks?* TickChek uses Polychromase Chain Reaction to successfully extract and amplify data from even the most damaged samples. Yes, we can test it!
How does the order process work?1. Go to 2. Choose what kind of tick you have, or choose the free LAB IDENTIFY option3. Choose your tick testing package 4. Enter your contact information5. Complete your order and pay 6. Print out the Testing Receipt and mailing label that will be emailed to you7. Mail your tick and testing receipt to our laboratory8. Receive updates via email & SMS when tick is received, and when results are available
Statistics:* > 55% of ticks have been found to carry Lyme disease or at least one other tick-borne disease* About 20% of ticks carry Lyme disease, and 10% are co-infected with two or more diseases
What We Test For :
Tick Identification Chart:
How To Remove A Tick Safely
Although the risk of Lyme disease is very low in Alberta, there are other tick-borne diseases that can be transmitted by ticks.
It is important to properly remove a tick as soon as possible. Removing a tick 24 to 36 hours after a tick bite usually prevents Lyme disease from developing.
If a tick is attached to your skin, you can safely remove it.
- Using tweezers, gently grasp its head and mouth parts as close to your skin as possible to avoid leaving mouthparts in the skin or crushing the tick.
- Without squeezing the tick, slowly pull the tick straight up off the skin do not jerk or twist it.
- Do not apply matches, cigarettes, dish soap, petroleum jelly or any other substance to the tick. This will not encourage the tick to detach and may cause it to release infectious blood back into the wound.
- Once the tick has been removed, clean the bite area with soap and water and disinfect the area with an antiseptic. Wash hands with soap and water.
- Consider submitting a photograph of the tick to the Submit-a-Tick program.
- If you do not plan to submit a photograph of the tick to the Submit-a-Tick program, you can kill the tick by placing it in a freezer for 24 hours, or putting it in rubbing alcohol. Once killed, dispose of it by flushing it down the toilet, or placing it in the garbage. Avoid crushing a tick with your fingers as they may be filled with blood and other infectious material.
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Fees: Please Make Checks Out To: Public Health Laboratory
Effective May 8, 2019, the Public Health Lab began accepting online payments. You will still need to complete a laboratory requisition with your submission. The receipt number generated by the online portal must be included on the requisition. Links to the online payment portals appear below:Well Water Testing Payment Portal
Tick Identification is $36.00*
See portal for well water testing prices. There is a fee schedule with a list of options available via the well water testing payment portal link above.
*Fees are subject to change without prior notice.
How Do You Know If You Have Lyme Disease
The answer to the question Can I testmyself for Lyme disease? must be answered in two distinct parts. Diagnosticmethods for both acute and chronic Lyme disease are very different, with thelatter being a lot more problematic than the former. First, the good news:acute Lyme disease is relatively easy to self-diagnose in most cases, at leastin theory. Lyme is spread through the saliva of ticks, which transfer the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria to thebloodstreams of their human hosts. The acute stage of the disease begins soonafter a bite symptoms similar to the flu appear, although they are not alwayssevere. But the critical symptom for patients is the distinctive bullseye rashthat appears at the site of the bite. This takes the form of a circle inside alarger circle, and is one of the prime signs of Lyme disease. If you find this,you can almost assuredly self-diagnose Lyme, although of course you should alsosee a doctor right away with your concerns.
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Why Test For Lyme Disease
Traditionally, it takes anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks for a blood sample to come back from a medical lab with qualitative results for Lyme disease. By testing the tick instead of humans, we are able to detect whether the tick itself carries the Lyme disease pathogen, helping with early detection and proactive treatment regimen.
Our program is dedicated to providing laboratory-quality tick testing to people in areas considered high-risk for Lyme both nationwide and internationally. Unlike traditional laboratories complicated test requisition forms, our tick testing program offers a simple, easy to use interface to order a tick test. Simply place your order, mail your tick to our lab, and check your email for your results! Test results are typically be ready within 72 hours or less of lab receipt.
Found a tick? Get Started Below!
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Protect Yourself From Ticks
While most ticks do not cause serious health problems, it is important to protect yourself, your family and even your pets from tick bites. It is also important to remove attached ticks immediately in order to avoid potential infection or diseases that can be transmitted from the bite. Some tips to prevent tick bites include:
- Walk on cleared trails whenever possible and avoid walking in tall grassy or wooded areas.
- Wear light-coloured clothing and cover up as much skin as possible. For example, a hat, long-sleeved shirt and long pants with the legs tucked into socks or boots.
- Use a bug spray that contains the chemical DEET or Icaridin to repel ticks and reapply as frequently as directed.
- Check yourself for ticks after leaving a grassy or wooded area where ticks may live.
- Check your pets for ticks after they have been outside. You cannot get Lyme disease from your pet, but your pet can bring infected ticks inside. These ticks can fall off your pet and attach themselves to you.
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Negative C6 Elisa On Serum
Early clinical Lyme disease in the form of erythema migrans with associated history of a tick bite should be treated empirically. There is no need for testing unless there are further symptoms.
A negative ELISA result in the early stages of Lyme disease does not exclude infection. If acute Lyme disease is suspected but serology results are negative, we recommend that the test is repeated in 4-6 weeks with a fresh sample to look for seroconversion.
In patients with long term symptoms a negative ELISA test usually excludes Lyme disease as a cause of these symptoms. Information on differential diagnosis for patients with persistent symptoms and negative Lyme disease serology results is available.
What Is The Best Tick Removal Tool
The CDC recommends using fine-point tweezers as the best method for removing ticks, and these definitely fit the bill. The tweezers are dual sided. One side has very fine, pointy tips for grasping ticks at the head. I like this tickremovaltool because it can also be used for removing tiny splinters, thorns, etc.
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What Do My Test Results Mean
If both tests come back positive, that means you have had Lyme disease at some point in time.
If either or both of your tests come back negative, your doctor may still diagnose Lyme disease, particularly if you recently developed Lyme-like symptoms, regardless of your test results. But, if your doctor does not diagnose you with Lyme disease, you can ask to be re-tested in a few weeks. If you do have Lyme disease, your body may build up sufficient antibodies by that point to be detected by a blood test.
Two-step blood testing for later stages of Lyme disease is more accurate than for early infection because your body should have had sufficient time to produce the antibodies detected by diagnostic tests.
Interpreting the Western blot test
The Western blot test looks at whether you have an immune response the production of IgM or IgG antibodies to specific proteins on the Lyme disease bacteria. IgM antibodies are usually made by your body when the infection is new and recent, while IgG antibodies are usually made some weeks later. When the IgM or IgG antibodies combine with specific proteins from the Lyme disease bacteria, this produces dark spots, or bands on the Western blot test strip.
The CDC considers a Western blot test to be positive for Lyme disease if at least two of three IgM bands are positive within 30 days of symptom onset, or five of 10 IgG bands are positive at any time.
If your Western blot test comes back negative, ask your doctor:
How To Test A Tick For Lyme Disease
If you have found this page, you may have found a tick on you, someone in your family or on a pet. Its great that your are being proactive and looking into getting the tick tested. This can bring you peace of mind and let you know the risks of developing an infection. Please read below for instructions on what to do to get the tick tested for Lyme disease and other co infections. Thank you for learning more about TickCheck!
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How To Mail Your Tick:
We test Blacklegged Deer and Western Deer ticks in all sorts of conditions both nymphs and adults. Simply place your order and follow the instructions that will be emailed to you upon successful placement of the order.
Simply place the tick in a tightly sealed Zip-Lock bag with the order number written on the bag with permanent marker, then mail it to us here in Loudoun County, Virginia!Additional information on exactly how and where to mail the ticks to, will be emailed to you once you have placed your order.
IMPORTANT! Since COVID-19, we have been working with a very limited staff and on average receive anywhere between 20 to 50 or more ticks daily. Any ticks that we receive that do NOT have an Order/Lab Number on the bag or container housing the tick will be Discarded or returned to sender.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Tick Testing Organizationswhere To Get The Tick Tested
There are many places to get a tick tested. You may go through your health provider or you may choose an independent laboratory. In addition, many state and local health departments offer tick testing. Depending on where testing is done, these tick tests may check for other tick-borne diseases besides Lyme.
The following is a partial list of independent laboratories that do tick testing. Most offer mail-based service if you are not local. Please contact the Labs directly for more information.
TickReport
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Sample Types For Lyme Disease Testing
For routine Lyme disease serological testing, you must send a serum sample .
For testing for neurological Lyme disease, you must send paired CSF and serum samples taken on the same day. If possible, please provide CSF cell count and total albumin, IgG and IgM values. If albumin, IgG and IgM measurements are not available, RIPL will make arrangements for these measurements at additional cost.
PCR testing is available. We recommend that specialists call RIPL to discuss appropriate sample types for PCR. These may include joint fluid, biopsy tissue, CSF and EDTA plasma. Please submit biopsies as fresh tissue in a sterile container, ideally with a drop of sterile saline to prevent the tissue drying out.
Where To Send A Tick For Lyme Testing
TickCheck can determine with 99.99% accuracy if the tick that bit you carries Lyme or 10 additional tick-borne diseases. Heres how it works: Order a tick test on TickCheck.com Send your tick directly to our lab no waiting for a kit! Get your tick test results within 24-48 business hours of lab receipt.
Lyme and tick-borne disease is often misdiagnosed. As a result, the opportunity for early treatment is missed. Therefore, we offer laboratory tick testing services delivering the earliest detection of disease exposure. Order a Universal Tick Test and receive a comprehensive evaluation regarding your risk.
The Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab can analyze your tick, testing for tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Order your test online and learn whether youre at risk before symptoms appear. . Send us your tick. Mail your receipt and tick to our laboratory for testing. Get your test now. View .
For testing for neurological Lyme disease, you must send paired CSF and serum samples taken on the same day. If possible, please provide CSF.
If the tick was found on the animal it can be sent in for B. burgdorferi PCR. PCR for Anaplasma can be performed simultaneously if requested. If the tick was infected, early treatment can be considered. However, a tick must feed for at least 24 hours on an animal or.
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