Testing ticks for Lyme disease ************************************************************************ as of 4 Sep 1999 California: ------------------------------------ IGenex, Inc. Reference Laboratory 797 San Antonio Road Palo Alto, CA 94303, Phone: 1-800-832-3200 (650)424-1191 FAX: (650)424-1196 http://www.igenex.com/ ----- Humboldt county, CA http://www.humboldt1.com/~medsoc/health_news_prev.html ----- IV. Q&A: Tick Testing (A) Sender: Lora Mermin I read in Lyme Times about Ukiah Pub Health Lab, and Jo McCallum got in touch with them and learned that they will accept ticks from other states for testing. They use the Fluorescent Antibody Test. "If a tick bites you and you wish to have it identified, place it in a small container with a moist, but not real wet, piece of paper towel or cotton ball. Include your name, address, phone number and age of the person who was bitten. Send to the Public Health Dept. Laboratory, 890 North Bush St., Ukiah, CA 95482. If you wish to determine whether the tick carried the bacteria that causes LD, the cost is $17.00. For information call 707-463-4461 or 707-463-4145. Call your own Public Health Dept. for local resources." The North American Laboratory Group once did culture tick testing for $25 (check this price before sending), and a PCR test is $115.00 (800-866-NALG). IGenex [Palo Alto, California]does a PCR for $65 (800-832-3200--phone no. for physicians only [not really - anyone can call]). LymeNet Newsletter Archive - Vol#3 #07 [05/10/95] http://www2.lymenet.org/domino/nl.nsf/UID/3-07 ----- Chope Hospital's Public Health Laboratory in San Mateo will test a tick to determine if it is carrying Lyme disease. The tick must be intact and contain some amount of body fluid for testing. There is a nominal fee for this service. http://www.friendsofedgewood.org/Newsletters/1997/9706/lyme.htm ----- Connecticut: ------------------------------------ BBI Clinical Labs will do it, too. Send it in a small bottle or plastic bag. If the test is positive for Lyme, you will be called within 4-5 days. Send it to: BBI Clinical Labs, 75 North Mountain Rd. New Britain, CT 06053 39$ per tick. Send payment with tick. VISA, MasterCard, or check 860-225-1900 http://www.bbii.com/BBICL.htm Re: Getting ticks tested http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=371946184&fmt=raw ----- You can test ticks through UCONN for only $20: "Your best defense against Lyme disease is early detection by testing the tick that bit you! You can call your local or state health department and ask about getting the tick tested. Get it tested as soon as possible, especially if the time it was embedded is unknown, and any engorgement is apparent or the tick was improperly removed or manipulated excessively. Preparing a tick for Testing The tick should be placed in a plastic bag with a blade of grass or other source of moisture (not to saturate it, though.) It should not be killed if it is still living. If your state does not test ticks, you can send it to UCONN: UCONN Veterinary Diagnostic Testing Laboratories 61 N. Eagleville Rd, U-203 Storrs , CT 06269-3203 Tel 860-486-0808 Fax 860-486-2737 They do charge $20 for a tick ID, darkfield exam and Bb Fluorescent antibody test, if you want them to culture it's an additional $15. They also do animals serology test (ELISA, IFA & Western Blots). ***If you live in the state of Connecticut, your town's public health department is obligated to send your ticks for testing to the Agricultural Research Station in New Haven at no cost to you and only the cost of postage to the town. If your town does not cooperate with you, you can send the ticks there yourself with a letter of explanation. This service is for Connecticut residents only!!! Since in recent years, there has been a threat to cut this service, it'd be a good idea to write a note of thanks to Governor Rowland too! DN - Re: Getting ticks tested (Inexpensive) http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=371350358&fmt=raw ----- For tick testing in the State of Connecticut, contact: Kirby Stafford Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station 123 Huntington Street New Haven, CT 06511-2016 203-789-7242 [free for CT residents] Re: Can a TICK be tested? http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=154736837&fmt=raw ----- III. Q&A: Tick Testing (A) Sender: Lloyd Miller, DVM Contact North American Labs in Connecticut. They do tick testing. 1-203-8261140 or 1-800-866-6254 Caveat - a negative test does not necessarily mean that the tick was not infected. There may not enough bacteria in tick to find. LymeNet Newsletter Archive - Vol#3 #07 [05/10/95] http://www2.lymenet.org/domino/nl.nsf/UID/3-07 ----- The diagnostic lab at UCONN (63 N. Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06268) will test ticks for presence of Lyme bacteria. It is very important that you keep the ticks moist by placing them in a baggy with a damp paper towel. You can mail them in or bring them in if you are local. It costs $20 to run the test for each tick. ???? ----- Iowa: ------------------------------------ A tick may be saved for identification by placing it in a piece of tissue and adding a drop of water to the tissue. Place the moistened tissue with the tick in a Zip-lock bag and send it to the University Hygienic Laboratory. Alternatively, ticks can be submitted in a vial containing rubbing or 70% alcohol. Please note the date and location where the tick was found. The University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory performs testing on blood for Lyme disease by both IFA and ELISA testing methods. See fact sheet at: http://www.uhl.uiowa.edu/Publications/Facts/lymedisease.html If you have questions of a general nature, please contact the Laboratory directly by calling 319/335-4500. ----- Minnesota: ------------------------------------ Who checks ticks for Lyme disease bacteria? The Minnesota Department of Health does not identify ticks or test them for the Lyme disease bacteria. Most medical clinics do not identify ticks or test them for the bacteria, but they usually request that you keep the tick and schedule an appointment with a doctor if you develop symptoms of Lyme disease within 2 to 30 days. Ticks can be identified but not tested for the bacteria, at no charge, by the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, Metro Counties Government Center, attention of Janet Jarnefeld, 2099 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55104- 343l. Mail the ticks in a self-seal plastic bag, and wrap the tick in a paper towel soaked in water or alcohol. Minnesota DNR - Forest Insect and Disease Newsletter: 07/31/98: Who checks ticks for Lyme disease bacteria? http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/publications/forestdi/july98/07319814.html ----- The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District offers free tick identification. Save the tick in a covered jar of alcohol labeled with the date and place where you think you picked up the bugger. Send it to: MMCD, 2099 University Ave. W., St. Paul. (651) 545-9149. Or access: www.mmcd.org/ticks.html ----- New Jersey: ------------------------------------ [New Jersey] State Department of Health, (609) 292-5819. Cost: $25. Must have doctor's note. Live tick for culture only -- Lyme and Ehrlichiosis only. New Jersey Laboratories, (908) 249-0148. Cost: $35 (Lyme); $40 (Ehrlichiosis). Live or dead tick for culture only. North American Lab, (800) 866-6254. For culture: Live tick or a tick dead less than two weeks. Tick must be in one piece. Cost: $25. For PCR (DNA): Dead tick OK if over two weeks, OK if more than one piece or in alcohol. Cost $125. Lyme only. Staying safe from lurking pests http://www.bergen.com:80/home/joel0702199807028.htm ----- New Jersey Laboratories, Inc. 1110 Somerset Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (908) 249-0148 Re: Getting ticks tested http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=370704744&fmt=raw New Jersey Laboratories in New Brunswick. The fee is $45, it will take 14 days to test, and it doesn't matter if the tick is alive or dead. Re: Getting ticks tested http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=370701740&fmt=raw Tick Testing New Jersey Laboratories 1110 Somerset Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Phone: 732-249-0148 Note: Ticks do not need to be alive, but don't let them get dried out. Put a bit of wet cotton in the container with the tick and get it tested within two weeks. The test is not entirely reliable, so talk to your doctor whether it tests positive or negative. Cost of testing is $45.00 if no alcohol is used and the tick is less than two weeks dead. Tick Hotline 1-800-tickbit Lyme Disease Association of New Jersey 732-938-4834 U.S. Lyme Disease Foundation 860-525-5200 Internet Information Lymenet.com 732-238-8579 Lyme Disease Information http://www.millstone.nj.us/lyme_disease.htm ----- KINNELON, New Jersey The Health Department offers Lyme disease tick analysis through a state- certified laboratory. Residents can drop off a tick for testing from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. Fee is $55. Information: (973) 838-5403. For your health http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/SFgate?language=english&verbose=0&listenv=DL&application=search&convert=&headline=July%205%2c%201999%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20For%20your%20health&waisurl=recent/HTML/25438/1=cgi.bergen.com%3A9565;2=./recent;3=0%2025438%20/usr/local/www/bergen/htdocs/healthw/abhea057.htm;4=cgi.bergen.com%3A9565;5=./recent;6=0%2025438%20/usr/local/www/bergen/htdocs/healthw/abhea057.htm;7=%00; ----- New York: ------------------------------------ Submitting Ticks for Testing Ticks may be submitted for testing to determine the type of tick and approximately how long it may have been attached. Place the tick(s) in a plastic container with a cotton ball that has been saturated with alcohol and Send to: OR You can also take the tick to: Tick ID Service NYSDOH Griffen Laboratories Building 17, P.O. Box 509 Albany, New York 12201-0509 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County Martin Road Voorheesville, New York (518) 765-3500 Lyme Disease, Health Department, Albany County http://www.albanycounty.com/departments/health/programs/lymedisease/index.htm ---- Ohio: ------------------------------------ V. Q&A: Tick Testing (A) Sender: Marvin Hirschberg Call the Vector Borne Disease Unit of the Ohio Dept. of Health for tick ID (614) 752-1029. North American Labs 1-800-866-6254 will ID and test ticks for $25. LymeNet Newsletter Archive - Vol#3 #07 [05/10/95] http://www2.lymenet.org/domino/nl.nsf/UID/3-07 ----- Pennsylvania: ------------------------------------ Pennsylvania 3. Where can I have a tick analyzed to determine if it is infected with Lyme disease? The Bureau can refer you to two laboratories that analyzed ticks for Lyme disease for a fee. However, for tick identification, our entomologists can do that free of charge. http://www.pda.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Agriculture/bpi_faq_plant_protection.htm ----- Rhode Island: ------------------------------------ From the Rhode Island Public Health Partnership in Infectious Disease Control web site: [Where can I test myself and/or a removed tick for Lyme Disease?] Lyme Disease Testing - Under Construction Getting Yourself Tested for Lyme Disease South County Hospital has established a New England-wide, toll-free automated information line (1-888-SCH-TICK) which will give callers a menu of options. One will explain how to remove an embedded tick. Another will refer patients with ACTIVE Lyme Disease symptoms to a "clinic without walls", a hospital program under which a doctor or pediatrician familiar with vector borne disease treatment . A third option provides additional information on vector borne diseases and their prevention. The information line operates 24-hours a day. South County Hospital is located at 100 Kenyon Avenue in Wakefield, RI (Just off Route 1) or The Treatment Center, at 7260 Post Road in North Kingstown (a South County hospital affiliate). Testing Ticks for Lyme Disease After you have removed the tick, place the tick in a sealed zip-lock bag or a small clean container (wash out a small glass jar or empty prescription bottle, for example). Do not add any disinfectants (alchohol, hydrogen peroxide or bleach, for example) to the baggie or container. The assay test works on both dead and living ticks. South County, Rhode Island residents may bring their ticks to the South County Hospital at 100 Kenyon Avenue in Wakefield, RI (Just off Route 1). Non-residents of South County, Rhode Island, may send it to the Imugen lab in Massachusetts. Include your name and address (where you want the results sent to) and a check for $35.00 (lab fee) made out to Imugen. Send it to: Imugen Attention: Tick Testing 226 Norwood Park South Norwood, MA, 02062 USA Results will take approximately 7 - 10 days. RI Public Health Partnership in Infectious Disease Control University of Rhode Island 9 East Alumni Ave., Suite 7 Kingston, RI 02881 Please direct any comments or questions to the Partnership's WebMaster at phpweb@uriacc.uri.edu RI Public Health Partnership, © copyright 1998. Revised: 03/25/98 12:16:30 PHP Lyme Disease Tutorial http://www.public-health.partner.uri.edu/lyme/testing.html ----- From the University of Rhode Island web site: PUBLIC SERVICES Tick Testing / Identification The TICK RESEARCH LABORATORY (TRL) is currently offering two services for interested individuals and physicians as part of our on-going research program. Any tick received can be accurately identified and can be tested for the presence of the causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Tick identification is made by members of the TRL and takes only a few minutes. Testing ticks for the presence of Lyme disease spirochetes is accomplished using a highly sensitive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. PCR analysis is used to identify the Lyme disease organism at the molecular level by amplifing specific DNA sequences of the spirochete. The tick specimens need not be alive; in fact, ticks from museum collections have been successfully analyzed after several decades of storage. Ticks, in any developmental stage (larva, nymph or adult), can be screened for the presence of the spirochete. Those specimens which have been attached and show evidence of having fed on host blood are the most likely to cause concern to both patients and physicians. It should be noted that this PCR technique is not a test for Lyme disease in the patient but rather an assay for the presence of the spirochete in the tick. Interpretation by the physician, based on the results, the degree of engorgement and stage of the tick will be necessary in order to determine the appropriate treatmentor prophylactic strategies. Cost for identification and evaluation of the tick as well as the PCR test for the presence of the spirochete is a total of $45.00. Tick identification alone, without PCR, is only $15.00. Prepayment is necessary and checks should be made payable to the URI - TICK RESEARCH LAB. Turnaround time for the PCR test is approximately one week. Specimens can be hand-delivered or they can be mailed to the lab. Those that are being mailed should be individually placed in plastic vials or securely sealed in plastic wrap and shipped in a small protective mailer. DO NOT fasten ticks to a letter with Scotch tape. Along with the specimen, you should include: the name, address and telephone number of the sender; plus the name, age, and sex of the host; where on the body the tick was attached; where and when the tick was encountered; and how long you think it was attached before removal. Send directly to: Professor Kerv Hyland Tick Research Laboratory Biological Sciences Department University of Rhode Island 100 Flagg Road Kingston, Rhode Island 02881-0816 Normally, we are open between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm eastern standard time. If the laboratory is closed, the specimen can be left in a container at room B-114 in the Biological Sciences Center or dropped off in the Department's Main Office (B-101). A check and the above information must accompany the specimen. Other Available Services: Determine tick abundance levels on properties. Provide technical advice and consultation with respect to integrated control strategies. Participate in public education and Lyme disease awareness conferences. If you would like further information or you just want to pass along some comments, drop us a line at: ticklab@uriacc.uri.edu We have several graduate students who'd love to answer your questions and hear your concerns. This site maintained by The Rhode Island Tick Pickers. The Tick Research Laboratory is located within the Biological Sciences Department, University of Rhode Island,100 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881-0816. We can be reached via telephone (401-874-2650), Fax (401-874-4256), or E-mail (ticklab@uriacc.uri.edu). The Web-Counter says that you are the parasite to visit these pages. Public Services http://www.uri.edu/artsci/zool/ticklab/Service.html ----- I. Q&A: Tick Testing (A) Sender: Tick Research Laboratory, U of RI In response to the recent request on tick testing in your net we are sending you the following message in hope to assist you to answer the questions asked by your readers. Tick Research Laboratory was established in 1988 which affiliated with Department of Zoology, University of Rhode Island. Our current research include aspects of epizootiology, epidemiology, and vector competency of tick-borne diseases, particularly Lyme disease and human babesiosis. If there is anything we can do to help your readers, please feel free to contact us. Service for detecting the Lyme disease spirochete in ticks is available at URI's Tick Research Laboratory. The TICK RESEARCH LABORATORY (TRL) is currently offering two services for interested individuals and physicians. Any tick received can be accurately identified and can be tested for the presence of the causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Tick identification is made by members of the TRL and takes only a few minutes. Testing ticks for the presence of Lyme disease spirochetes is accomplished using a highly sensitive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. PCR analysis is used to identify the Lyme disease organism at the molecular level by amplifying specific DNA sequences of the spirochete. The tick specimens need not be alive; in fact, ticks from museum collections have been successfully analyzed after several decades of storage. Ticks, in any developmental stage (larva, nymph or adult) can be screened for the presence of the spirochete. Those specimens which have been attached and show evidence of having fed on host blood are the most likely to cause concern to both patients and physicians. It should be noted that this PCR technique is not a test for Lyme disease in the patient but rather an assay for the presence of the spirochete in the tick. Interpretation by the physician, based on the results, the degree of engorgement and stage of the tick will be necessary in order to determine the appropriate treatment or prophylactic strategies. Cost for identification and evaluation of the tick as well as the PCR test for the presence of the spirochete is a total of $45.00. Tick identification alone, without PCR, is only $15.00. Prepayment is necessary and checks should be made payable to the URI - TICK RESEARCH LAB. Turnaround time for the PCR test is approximately one week. Specimens can be hand-delivered or they can be mailed to the lab. Those that are being mailed should be individually placed in plastic vials or securely sealed in plastic wrap and shipped in a small protective mailer. DO NOT fasten ticks to a letter with Scotch tape. Along with the specimen, you should include: the name, address and telephone number of the sender; plus the name, age, and sex of the host; where on the body the tick was attached; and where and when the tick was encountered. Send directly to: Professor Kerv Hyland Tick Research Laboratory Department of Zoology Biological Science Center, B-114 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 02881-0816 For more information please call (401) 792-2650 or Fax (401) 792-4256 or e-mail: TICKLAB@URIACC.URI.EDU Normally, we are open between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm. If the laboratory is closed, the specimen can be left in a container at room B-114 in the Biological Sciences Center or dropped off in the Zoology Department Main Office (B-101). A check and the above information must accompany the specimen. LymeNet Newsletter Archive - Vol#3 #07 [05/10/95] http://www2.lymenet.org/domino/nl.nsf/UID/3-07 ----- Wisconsin: ------------------------------------ Who checks ticks for Lyme disease bacteria? If you suspect that a tick removed from your skin harbors the Lyme disease bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, you can send it to the Gunderson Lutheran Outreach Lab, l9l0 South Avenue, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601. Send a $l7.50 check made out to the Lab, along with the live tick kept moist in a container with a small piece of moist cotton or paper. One or two days after receiving the tick the Lab will have determined if it is positive or negative for the bacteria. They can send you this information, or you can call them at their toll free number l-800-362- 9567, extension 4701 for quicker reply. Minnesota DNR - Forest Insect and Disease Newsletter: 07/31/98: Who checks ticks for Lyme disease bacteria? http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/publications/forestdi/july98/07319814.html ----- Compiled by: Art Doherty Lompoc, California mailto:doherty@utech.net