How is a test for a skin tick taken? - briefly
A skin‑tick sample is collected by gently scraping or swabbing the affected area, then placed in a transport medium for laboratory analysis by microscopy or PCR. Results are usually available within several days.
How is a test for a skin tick taken? - in detail
A skin‑tick examination begins with visual inspection. The clinician uses a dermatoscope or magnifying lens to locate the tick, noting its attachment site, stage, and any surrounding erythema. Once identified, the area is cleaned with an antiseptic solution such as povidone‑iodine.
The tick is removed with fine‑point tweezers or a specialized tick‑removal tool. The instrument grasps the tick as close to the skin as possible, applying steady upward pressure to avoid crushing the mouthparts. If the tick is embedded deeply, a sterile scalpel or a 3‑mm punch biopsy may be employed to excise a small portion of skin containing the tick and surrounding tissue.
The specimen is placed in a labeled, airtight container. Preferred transport media include 70 % ethanol for morphological identification or a dry sterile tube for molecular analysis. Labels must include patient identifier, date and time of collection, anatomical location, and collector’s name.
If the tick is suspected to carry pathogens, a portion of the specimen is transferred to a separate tube containing nucleic‑acid‑preserving solution (e.g., RNAlater) for PCR testing. The remaining part may be sent to a reference laboratory for species identification by microscopy or DNA sequencing.
The container is stored at 4 °C if processing occurs within 24 hours; otherwise, it is frozen at –20 °C to preserve nucleic acids. Samples are dispatched to the laboratory with a requisition form specifying the requested assays (e.g., PCR for Borrelia, Anaplasma, or Rickettsia; serologic testing of patient serum if indicated).
At the laboratory, the tick undergoes:
- Morphological examination – species determination using taxonomic keys.
- Molecular testing – DNA extraction, amplification of pathogen‑specific gene targets, and sequencing.
- Pathogen culture – optional, performed under biosafety conditions for viable organisms.
Results are reported to the ordering clinician, who integrates them with clinical findings to guide treatment decisions.