Tick Testing

There are places where the public can have ticks tested to see if they contain the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, or to see if they contain other disease organisms which can infect humans or other animals. There are generally charges for these services.

LDA does not make recommendations about whether people should have ticks tested, reliability of tick testing, or whether people should wait for the results before seeking/getting treatment. Those are decisions that need to be made after reviewing material on the topic and discussing the benefits/risks with a professional.
 
Check with the labs for proper packaging and mailing of the ticks, the types of organisms tested for and the associated costs (e.g., Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis)
 
Examples of Tick Testing Laboratories*
LDA does provide contact information on some tick testing labs.
Some examples of tick-testing labs:
*From Lyme Disease Association’s LymeR Primer brochure.
Click here to download brochure.
 
Example of Government Testing Laboratories in Specific Areas

1)  Monmouth County (NJ)  Mosquito Control Tick Testing for Monmouth County Residents ONLY

2)  Georgia Tick Testing for Residents Only  State of Georgia Tick Testing

The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, is continuing its study of ticks in the state, and asking people to send ticks in for study. The Tick Attach study, which is working to increase understanding of tick-borne disease, is being conducted in cooperation with the University of Georgia and the Georgia Poison Center, and continues through April 2006.

Residents who find an attached tick are asked to call the Georgia Poison Center (404-616-9000 or 800-222-1222) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for information about tick removal, identification, and testing. The Georgia Poison Center will provide information about how to mail the tick to get it tested when you call. The University of Georgia will test the tick for the bacteria that cause tick-borne diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), and tularemia, depending on the species of tick. An expert in tick illness from the Georgia Division of Public Health will call you to ask you some questions about exposures to tick habitats and find out if you developed symptoms of tick-borne illness. You will get the results of the tick testing when it is done.

Check with your own state health department to see if it tests ticks
Search State Health Departments
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers the ability to search one or more state health departments for specific keywords or terms. Search terms are referenced against each of the state agencies checked on the search form. Results are returned ordered by state. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/state_health_departments.htm (By clicking, you are leaving the LDA site and entering the CDC website)