How Do I Properly Remove A Tick From A Persons Body
If you find a tick on persons body, it is important to remove the tick as soon as possible. Infected blacklegged ticks need to be attached for at least 24 hours in order to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.1
For safe removal of a tick the Middlesex-London Health Unit suggests you follow these instructions:
- Try to wear gloves when handling an engorged tick.
- Use tweezers and grab the tick as close to the head as possible. Do not use your fingers.
- Pull the tick upward and away from the body with steady pressure. Be sure to pull the tick straight out.
- Once the tick has been removed, clean the area with soap and water. Seek medical attention if you are concerned about a possible skin infection.
- Wash your hands thoroughly.
Targeting Fats To Fight Lyme
We started this current work to learn how Borrelia burgdorferi acquires key nutrients, like fats, for growth, says Gwynne. The Lyme bacteria, despite being a very successful pathogen, is much more dependent than other bacteria on acquiring nutrients from its environment.
Linden Hu
In the process of our research, we found that the organism takes fats called phospholipids directly from its surroundings in the host, and puts them on its surface, says Hu, the Vice Dean of Research at the school and Paul and Elaine Chervinsky Professor of Immunology.
That finding led us to look to see if the direct use of a host fat by the bacteria might lead the immune system to recognize it as a foreign substance and create antibodies to it.
What the scientists discovered is that both animals and patients infected with the Lyme bacterium developed autoantibodies to multiple phospholipids. Because autoantibodies can be damaging to the host, these autoantibodies are tightly regulated and tend to disappear quickly once the stimulating factor is removed.
The antibodies also seem to develop much more quickly than traditional antibodies to the Lyme bacterialikely because your body has previously created these autoantibodies and downregulated them, says Hu.
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Lyme Disease Diagnosis And Laboratory Testing
Lyme disease is diagnosed based on the presence of symptoms, a physical exam, the possibility of exposure to infected ticks and, if necessary, laboratory testing. If your health care provider suspects Lyme disease, you may be asked to provide a blood sample for testing.
Public health and laboratory experts in Canada, the United States and worldwide support the 2-step testing used in Alberta as the best laboratory method for supporting the diagnosis of Lyme disease. These high standards help protect individuals from misleading false-positive results and unnecessary treatments.
In Alberta, laboratory testing for the first step is done by the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health. The second verification step is done by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg to reduce the chances of false-positive results.
The Alberta government advises against the use of laboratory testing offered by some private laboratories outside of Canada. Some of these laboratories use non-standardized testing methods. These methods may report a higher number of false-positive results.
False positives can result in misdiagnosis that can lead to a delay in finding the actual cause of an individuals illness, as well as unnecessary, expensive and sometimes harmful treatments.
A 2014 study found that one alternate United States laboratory had incorrectly diagnosed Lyme disease in up to 57% of healthy people who did not have Lyme disease.
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Balf Offers Free Tick Testing Nationwide
Press release, February 18, 2016
Bay Area Lyme Foundation today announced that the Foundation is the first to offer free tick testing for residents of the U.S. Testing is available through a partnership with Nate Nieto, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University and his lab. Bay Area Lyme Foundation hopes to use this crowd-sourced data as a vehicle for gaining a greater understanding of the geography of tick-borne diseases in the U.S. If successful in accumulating data, it will be the first crowd-sourced study of its kind.
A major challenge for the Lyme disease community is understanding the prevalence of Lyme disease bacteria in ticks throughout the U.S., so that physicians and residents can be appropriately vigilant to the symptoms of the disease, explained Laure Woods, President and Co-founder, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, who conceptualized this idea, and provided funding to Bay Area Lyme Foundation through a grant from the Laurel Foundation to cover the initial costs of the tick analyses.
With this effort, we intend to make it easier for people who have been bit by ticks, particularly in geographic areas where Lyme disease is not yet recognized as endemic, to understand their potential risk, added Woods.
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Lyme Disease Signs And Symptoms
Most symptoms of Lyme disease in humans usually appear between three and 30 days after a bite from an infected blacklegged tick.
You should contact your local public health unit or speak to a health care professional right away if you have been somewhere that ticks might live and experience any of the following symptoms:
- a bulls-eye rash (a red patch on the skin that is usually round or oval and more than 5 cm that spreads outwards and is getting bigger
- a bruise-like rash
- another type of unusual rash
- muscle aches and joint pains
- swollen lymph nodes
- spasms, numbness or tingling
- facial paralysis
If not treated, Lyme disease can make you feel tired and weak and, if it gets really bad, it can even harm your heart, nerves, liver and joints. Symptoms from untreated Lyme disease can last years and include recurring arthritis and neurological problems, numbness, paralysis and, in very rare cases, death.
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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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Where Are Blacklegged Ticks Found In Ontario
The risk for exposure is highest in regions where ticks infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease are known to be established. This includes areas along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Surveillance efforts have identified blacklegged ticks throughout York Region and much of the Greater Toronto Area. Some of those ticks have tested positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Blacklegged ticks can be transported by birds or other wildlife across regions. There is a chance of being exposed to Lyme disease through contact with infected ticks almost anywhere in Ontario. Take precautions against ticks when visiting any woodland habitats where ticks may be present.
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Where To Test Ticks
The Tick Identification and Testing Service serves as a first alert for people receiving a tick bite. Ticks must be submitted in person at the MCMEC facility located in Tinton Falls. Ticks can be tested for the causative agent of Lyme disease utilizing a DNA based technique known as polymerase chain reaction .
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:
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Studying The Pests Helps Predict Disease Emergence Across The State
Upstates Citizen Science Tick Testing Program invites the public to send in ticks they find to be tested for Lyme and other disease-causing agents.
The majority of the ticks that are submitted are deer ticks, and one-third of those carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, says Saravanan Thangamani, PhD, a professor of microbiology and immunology who leads the Vector-borne Infectious Diseases Laboratory.
He also receives quite a few dog ticks, and Lone Star ticks.
Thangamanis lab tracks the emergence of a dozen species of ticks that are most prevalent in New York state. Researchers strive to understand the geographical expansion of the ticks and tick-borne diseases. They analyze weather information to predict whether the climate influences tick migration. And they study how ticks transmit various diseases and which host species animals or human the different ticks prefer.
Based on data he collected from 2019, Thangamani says human New Yorkers are only the second favorite host for Lyme-positive ticks. It turns out that cats are No. 1.
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:
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Laboratory Testing Of Ticks For Surveillance
Only ticks that have been requested to be submitted to the lab following photo identification through eTick will be accepted for testing at the lab. This ensures the best use of laboratory services. Most ticks found in Alberta are not the type that can transmit Lyme disease.
Note that Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health and Indigenous Services Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch offices are not accepting tick submissions.
If you are asked to submit your tick to the Alberta Public Health Laboratory through eTick, complete and print the Tick Testing Request form that must accompany your tick to the lab . Submitting a tick to the lab when requested is optional. By submitting the tick when requested, you are helping Alberta Health to monitor for ticks of public health concern in Alberta.
Members of the public can drop off their completed Tick Testing Request form and tick specimen at a local lab location, or send it by mail.
Collection, shipping instructions, drop off locations and mailing address are provided on the Tick Testing Request form as well as below:
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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Where Blacklegged Ticks Live
We continue to track where infected and uninfected blacklegged ticks are being found.
Public Health Ontarios Lyme disease page has a map that shows areas in Ontario where they estimate you are more likely to find blacklegged ticks.
Blacklegged ticks are spreading to new areas of the province because of climate change. They can also spread by traveling on birds and deer. While the probability is low, it is possible to find an infected tick almost anywhere in Ontario.
Ticks are most active in spring and summer, but can be found at any time of the year when the temperature is above freezing.
Submit A Tick Photo For Identification
You can submit photographs of ticks for rapid photo identification through the eTick website or using the eTick app.
- Download the eTick app on or the Apple Store
How to submit a tick photo to eTick:
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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.
What Testing Do We Offer
We offer three options for having your ticks tested. For each of these options, we will first identify the submitted tick, and ensure the testing is appropriate for that species. The three options are:
- Cost: $50.00 CAD
- Description: Ticks will be tested for the bacteria that cause Lyme disease and tick-borne relapsing fever. These bacteria include:
- General Borrelia
- Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto or Borrelia lonestari
- Borrelia miyamotoi .
- Common Infections
- Cost: $150.00 CAD
- Description: Ticks will be tested for the seven most common tick-borne pathogens found in their species.
- For black-legged ticks, these pathogens include:
- General Borrelia
- Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto
- Borrelia miyamotoi
- Anaplasma phagocytophilum
- Babesia microti
- Cost: $300.00 CAD
- Description: Ticks will be tested for all the currently detectable pathogens at Geneticks. These pathogens include:
- General Borrelia
- Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto or Borrelia lonestari
- Borrelia miyamotoi
- Anaplasma phagocytophilum
- Babesia microti
- Francisella tularensis
- Rickettsia rickettsii
**Expedited testing ensures that your tick testing results are returned to you within 48 hours of receiving your tick at our laboratory. This 48 hour period applies to business days only.
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How Can I Have A Tick Identified
If you are interested in having the tick identified, eTick.ca is a free online service that uses a photograph of the tick to identify its type.
Who is at risk?
Black-legged ticks have been found in Durham Region. This means that these ticks are starting to settle here.
The risk of getting Lyme disease in the Region is low. You have a higher risk if you are an outdoor enthusiast and you live in or visit any area that has black-legged ticks.
Risk locations
Durham Region Health Department’s tick surveillance program helps to determine where black-legged ticks have become established in Durham Region. This information helps assess the risk of Lyme disease.
Role of the Health Department
Durham Region Health Department works to prevent and reduce the spread of Lyme disease in humans through tick surveillance and the investigation of human cases.
Additional information