If you still have the tick, don't throw it away.

What the lab can tell you

PA Tick Research Lab describes itself as a university-affiliated laboratory in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Its public materials state that it uses real-time/qPCR methods to detect pathogen genetic material in submitted ticks. The lab's current About page says its testing can detect 18 pathogens, while its FAQ and current panels may describe additional targets. Because test menus can change, verify the laboratory's current pathogen panel before ordering.

Current panels include organisms associated with Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and other pathogens depending on tick species and panel. The laboratory also offers tick identification. See current pathogen panels ↗

My own tick-test result

I used this laboratory for the deer tick involved in my own story. The report found Babesia general species POSITIVE and specifically Babesia odocoilei POSITIVE. The same specimen was negative for Babesia microti and Babesia duncani. I am posting the actual report so readers can see exactly what the laboratory reported rather than relying on my summary.

What to do with the tick

1. Remove it mechanically. Use clean fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool. Grasp as close to the skin as possible and pull steadily upward.
2. Do not burn, crush, twist, smother, or coat it. Heat and chemicals can damage the specimen, and attempts to make an attached tick detach can increase manipulation of the tick.
3. Put it in a sealed plastic bag. A special collection kit is not required by the PA lab.
4. Order the test through the lab's website. Choose the current panel that fits the tick and the information you want.
5. Mail the specimen with the required order information. Follow the current mailing directions the lab provides after ordering.
6. Read the result as exposure information. Share clinically relevant information with a healthcare professional if symptoms develop or if there are questions about prophylaxis or testing.

The tick does not have to be alive

The PA Tick Research Lab states that dead or damaged ticks can generally still be tested, and that there is no strict time limit for testing. A burned tick or a tick coated in a substance may be unsuitable because those treatments can interfere with DNA testing. The lab says routine results are generally returned within three business days (about 72 hours) after receipt. Read the lab instructions ↗

Why test a tick if it cannot diagnose you?

There is still a practical reason some people want the information: identifying the tick species and the organisms detected in it can document what was present in the specific specimen that bit them. That information can be useful context in a conversation with a clinician, especially when several pathogens circulate in the same region.

But clinical guidelines draw a hard line between tick testing and human diagnosis. CDC cautions against using commercial tick-test results to decide whether to take antibiotics because a positive tick does not establish transmission and a negative tick can provide false reassurance. The IDSA/AAN/ACR Lyme guideline recommends tick species identification, but recommends against testing a removed Ixodes tick for B. burgdorferi to predict human infection. CDC tick-bite guidance ↗ IDSA Lyme guideline ↗