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Tick Testing & Identification

Tick testing-ticks in airtight containerThere are places where the public can have tick testing conducted and/or identified to see if they contain the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, and/or other disease organisms that can infect humans or pets. There are generally charges for these services.

LDA does not make recommendations:

  • whether you should have ticks tested
  • about specific testing or identification facilities
  • about the reliability of tick testing
  • whether you should wait for the results before seeking/getting treatment
  • whether you should base your treatment on your tick testing results

*Above items are decisions that need to be made by you after reviewing material on the topic and discussing the benefits/risks with a professional.

Save tick alive if possible. Do NOT put in tape. Place in airtight container or zip lock bag. Check with the labs for proper packaging and mailing of the ticks, the types of organisms tested for and the associated costs.

Tick-testing lab examples from Lyme Disease Association’s LymeR Primer brochure

IGeneX Labs- Click Here MDL- Click Here NJ Labs- Click Here Clongen Laboratories- Click Here 

Additional Tick Identification and Testing Laboratories

Nationwide Services
 
APHC-Army Public Health Center (For Department of Defense personnel and their dependents ONLY) – Click Here
 
Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab – Click Here 
 
Cornell University – Click Here 
 
TickCheck – Click Here 
 
Ticknology – Click Here 
 
Tick Report – Click Here   
 
Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania (FREE Identification, Testing for fee) – Click Here 
 
Thangamani Lab-SUNY Upstate Medical University (Onondaga County Department of Health subsidized testing for Onondaga County residents)- Click Here
 
Canada
 
Geneticks Canada – Click Here
 

Additional Tick Identification and/or Testing Laboratories

Specific State Resident Services

NJ Residents:
NJ Ticks 4 Science! – Click Here
 
Connecticut Residents:
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station – Click Here 
 
Kentucky Residents:
Entomology at the University of Kentucky – Click here
 
Maine Residents:
University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Tick Lab – Click Here 
 
New York (Onondaga County Residents): 
Thangamani Lab-SUNY Upstate Medical University – Subsidized testing for Onondaga County Residents – Click Here
 

Tick Identification Services Only*

Nationwide
 
Tick Encounter – Click Here 
 
TickTracker (Tracking & Reporting App) – Click Here 
 
The Tick App – Click Here
 
Specific State Resident Services
 
Colorado: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment – Click Here 
 
Illinois: Illinois Department of Health working with University of Illinois- Click Here
 
Maryland: 
Maryland Department of Health/University of Maryland- Click Here
 
Michigan: Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (FREE for Michigan Residents)- Click Here 

Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin): Midwest Center of Excellence @UW-Madison (FREE for Midwest Residents)- Click Here 

New Jersey: Monmouth County (NJ) Mosquito Control Division (Monmouth County Residents ONLY)- Click Here

New Hampshire: New Hampshire (FREE for New Hampshire Residents)- Click Here

Vermont: Vermont (FREE for Vermont Residents)- Click Here 

*As services may change, check with your own State or County health department on what services they may provide.
Search State Health Departments The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides a list of all State and Territorial Health Department Websites here.