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Photo Credit: Dr. Jennifer Morrow
Photo Credit: Dr. Jennifer Morrow
Photo Credit: Dr. Jennifer Morrow
Most deer ticks are the size of freckles, making them even more difficult to spot on our fair skinned friends. Ticks are programmed to climb until they find folds and hair on their hosts, because they know that they are less likely to be disturbed during their feeding.
Free tick testing is available in NYS through Thangamani Lab and SUNY Upstate Medical Center. Carefully remove ticks preferably with a tick fork then follow tick submission directions.
Free tick testing is available in NYS through Thangamani Lab and SUNY Upstate Medical Center. Carefully remove ticks preferably with a tick fork then follow tick submission directions.
What pathogens do we test? Ticks will be identified by species before testing for pathogens. We use nucleic acid detection methods to identify pathogens in the tick samples. At this time, we are capable of detecting the following pathogens: Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease agent), Borrelia miyamotoi (BM disease), Babesia microti (Babesiosis), Ehrlichia muris (Ehrlichiosis), Ehrlichia chaffeensis (Ehrlichiosis), Anaplasma phagocytophlium (Anaplasmosis), Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), Bartonella henselae (bartonellosis), Powassan virus (Powassan encephalitis), Deer tick virus (Powassan encephalitis), Heartland virus, and Bourbon virus.
How long does it take? Ideally, we will be processing the samples within 5-7 business days of sample receipt and shall disseminate the results (tick species and pathogen/s identified) via email. Results can also be checked at our results page with the email and corresponding tick ID number.
How to send ticks to our lab? Check the "Tick Submission Updates" page for mailing and packing instructions. Please fill out the tick submission form. Click here to fill out the tick submission form. Each tick will be assigned a unique ID. So, if you are sending multiple ticks, please complete the form for each tick.
Will you test ticks that are sent without completing the form? As we have automated our process, ticks submitted without filling out the tick submission form will not be processed/tested.
Disclaimer: This tick testing program is meant only for academic / research purposes, and should not be considered as a diagnostic tool or as a basis on which to make health care decisions. All ticks in this program are tested for pathogen-specific nucleic acids via real-time PCR. A tick that tests positive for a pathogen does not confirm that the bitten human or animal was exposed to the pathogen.
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