How should a tick be submitted for examination? - briefly
Place the tick in a sealed, puncture‑proof container with a moist cotton pad, label it with the collection date, site, and host information, and ship it promptly to a qualified diagnostic laboratory or veterinary clinic. Include a brief request for identification and any relevant clinical details.
How should a tick be submitted for examination? - in detail
When a tick is collected for diagnostic testing, follow a precise protocol to preserve the specimen and ensure reliable results.
First, handle the tick with clean, disposable tweezers. Grasp the mouthparts as close to the skin as possible and pull straight upward to avoid crushing the body. Place the intact arthropod into a sterile, sealable container such as a 1.5‑ml microtube or a small plastic vial.
Second, add a suitable preservation medium. Options include:
- 70 % ethanol, sufficient to completely submerge the tick;
- 95 % ethanol for molecular analyses;
- RNAlater or a similar nucleic‑acid stabilizer when RNA extraction is planned.
Label the container clearly with:
- Date of collection;
- Geographic location (coordinates if available);
- Host species and life stage of the tick;
- Collector’s name and contact information.
Third, keep the specimen at a stable temperature. Store ethanol‑preserved ticks at 4 °C if processing will occur within a few weeks; for longer storage, keep them at –20 °C. If no preservative is used, maintain the tick on ice and ship it to the laboratory within 24 hours.
Fourth, complete any required submission forms provided by the diagnostic service. Include patient or animal identification, clinical signs, and any relevant exposure history. Attach the labeled container securely to the paperwork or include a barcode reference.
Finally, ship the package using a reputable courier that offers tracking. Ensure the parcel complies with biological material regulations: place the sealed container inside a secondary, leak‑proof bag, then inside a rigid outer box with cushioning material. Mark the outer package with the appropriate biohazard label if required by the receiving laboratory.
Adhering to these steps maximizes the likelihood of accurate pathogen detection and minimizes the risk of specimen degradation.