How should I store a tick for laboratory testing? - briefly
Place the specimen in a tightly sealed tube with 70 % ethanol and store at 4 °C (or freeze at –20 °C) for molecular analyses; for live‑pathogen assays, keep the tick in a humid container at 4 °C and process within 24–48 hours. Use sterile tools and label each sample with collection details.
How should I store a tick for laboratory testing? - in detail
Preserving a tick for diagnostic or research purposes requires maintaining its morphological integrity and preventing microbial overgrowth. Follow these steps to ensure reliable results:
- Collect the specimen with fine‑point tweezers, avoiding crushing the exoskeleton. Place the tick in a sterile, sealable tube or vial.
- Immediately cool the sample to 4 °C. A refrigerated container, not a freezer, preserves nucleic acids while limiting bacterial proliferation.
- Add a suitable preservative if a delay beyond 24 hours is expected. Options include:
- 70 % ethanol, sufficient to fix tissues without excessive dehydration.
- RNAlater®, for protocols focusing on RNA extraction, used according to the manufacturer’s volume‑to‑specimen ratio.
- Label the container with collection date, location, host species, and any relevant identifiers. Use waterproof ink to prevent loss of information.
- Transport the specimen in a cooler with ice packs, maintaining the target temperature until arrival at the laboratory.
- Upon receipt, store at −20 °C for short‑term holding (up to several weeks) or at −80 °C for long‑term archiving, especially when DNA or RNA integrity is critical.
- Document the storage conditions in a laboratory information management system (LIMS) to track temperature excursions and storage duration.
Adhering to this protocol minimizes degradation, preserves diagnostic markers, and supports reproducible analyses.