Just got bit by a tick?
Remove the tick correctly, clean the area, save the specimen if possible, document the date and location, and understand which symptoms deserve medical attention.
Open the action guide
Practical resources
Tick-bite, testing and medical-information resources you can actually use.
Start with the situation you are dealing with now: a recent bite, a saved tick, new symptoms, confusing lab results, or a confirmed infection. The links below lead directly to action guides, printable trackers, infection-specific testing information and primary medical sources.
Recent tick bite
Immediate steps
Specimen
Preparation
What to do first
Get the tick tested
How to bag and mail a tick to the Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab, what qPCR can detect, and why a tick result is additional exposure information—not a diagnosis.
Tick-testing instructionsBuild a tick-bite kit
A practical checklist of fine-tipped tweezers, specimen bags, marker, magnification and other inexpensive items worth keeping together before you need them.
Build the kit
Testing & appointments
Organize the information that is easy to forget.
Tick-borne testing guide
Compare PCR, microscopy and serology for Babesia, Lyme, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, RMSF and B. miyamotoi. The best test depends on the organism and timing.
Compare testsQuestions for your doctor
Printable prompts for exposure history, symptoms, laboratory abnormalities, tests already performed, medications, and follow-up questions.
Open printable sheetLab-results tracker
Keep CBC, liver enzymes, hemolysis markers, antibody results, PCR, smear and treatment dates in one place so trends are easier to see.
Open tracker
Infection guides
Detailed guides to common and important tick-borne infections
Babesiosis
Red-cell invasion, species, symptoms, hemolysis, PCR/smear testing, standard treatment, relapse and experimental research.
Babesia guideLyme disease
Borrelia burgdorferi, erythema migrans, neurologic disease, carditis, arthritis, two-tier serology, antibiotic treatment and botanical culture studies.
Lyme guideBartonellosis
Cat-scratch disease, bacteremia, endocarditis, proven transmission routes, diagnostic limitations and natural-product research.
Bartonella guideAnaplasmosis
Intracellular infection of granulocytes, PCR timing, leukopenia/thrombocytopenia and why doxycycline should not be delayed when disease is suspected.
Anaplasmosis guideEhrlichiosis
Monocyte infection, morulae, PCR and paired serology, severe complications and evidence-based treatment.
Ehrlichiosis guideBorrelia miyamotoi
Hard-tick relapsing fever, antigenic variation, PCR, GlpQ-related serology and how it differs from Lyme disease.
B. miyamotoi guideRocky Mountain spotted fever
Endothelial infection, rash limitations, early-negative testing and the time-sensitive importance of doxycycline.
RMSF guideOther infections
Powassan virus, tularemia, Heartland virus, Bourbon virus, STARI and other spotted-fever rickettsioses.
More infectionsHerbal evidence library
Direct study links organized by organism and evidence level, including Lyme, Babesia and Bartonella laboratory research.
Herbal evidence
Authoritative external sources
Primary places to verify medical information
CDC — Babesiosis
Symptoms, transmission, prevention, diagnosis and clinical care.
CDC Babesiosis →IDSA — Babesiosis guideline
Evidence-based diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
IDSA Babesiosis Guideline →CDC — Tickborne diseases of the United States
Public-health information on Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, RMSF, relapsing fever and emerging infections.
CDC tick resources →Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab
University-affiliated tick testing and current pathogen panels.
TickLab.org →Products from my personal experience • affiliate links
Cryptolepis & artemisinin
These are the Amazon-linked products connected to what I personally used. I am sharing them as part of my experience, not as proven babesiosis treatments or dosing recommendations. Browse all recommended products →
What I personally usedCryptolepis sanguinolenta
A commercial Cryptolepis product. Laboratory and animal evidence discussed here should not be confused with proven human treatment efficacy.
View Cryptolepis on AmazonAmazon affiliate link
What I personally usedArtemisinin
A commercial Artemisinin product. Experimental evidence discussed here is mixed and does not establish commercial supplements as proven human babesiosis treatment.
View Artemisinin on AmazonAmazon affiliate link
Amazon disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying through an affiliate link may earn Beat Babesia a commission at no additional cost to you.
Products I used + practical support
Products worth knowing about
Cryptolepis and artemisinin are the two products I personally used during my Babesia experience. I am sharing what I used, not prescribing a treatment. The other items are practical support products people may find useful while keeping track of medications, supplements, and hydration.
What I personally used
Cryptolepis sanguinolenta
The Cryptolepis product I personally used. See the Cryptolepis page for the research, limitations, and my experience.
View Cryptolepis on AmazonAmazon affiliate link
What I personally used
Artemisinin
The artemisinin product I personally used. See the Artemisinin page for the research, limitations, and my experience.
View Artemisinin on AmazonAmazon affiliate link
Practical support
Large weekly pill organizer
A simple way to keep prescriptions and supplements organized when a routine gets complicated.
View pill organizer on AmazonAmazon affiliate link
Practical support
Hydration / electrolyte packets
Convenient hydration support for people who want an easy electrolyte option. This is not a Babesia treatment.
View hydration packets on AmazonAmazon affiliate link
Amazon disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying through an affiliate link may earn Beat Babesia a commission at no additional cost to you.