Where should a tick be sent for examination? - briefly
Send the tick to a certified medical laboratory or public health department that provides arthropod identification and disease‑testing services. Contact your local health authority for the specific facility and shipping guidelines.
Where should a tick be sent for examination? - in detail
When a tick is removed and needs laboratory analysis, the specimen should be sent to an accredited diagnostic facility that is equipped to identify species, test for pathogens, and provide a formal report. The most common destinations are:
- State or provincial public‑health laboratories – they receive submissions from clinicians and the public, perform species identification, and run polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.
- National reference centers – in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hosts the Tick‑Borne Disease Surveillance and Response Division; in Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) collaborates with national labs. These agencies handle complex cases and confirm rare infections.
- Veterinary diagnostic laboratories – for ticks removed from animals, veterinary schools and commercial animal‑health labs provide species confirmation and pathogen screening relevant to livestock and companion‑animal health.
- University research laboratories – academic institutions with entomology or microbiology departments often accept specimens for detailed taxonomic work and experimental testing, especially when the tick is from an unusual location or hosts a novel pathogen.
Before shipping, follow these preservation steps:
- Place the tick in a sealed, sterile container (e.g., a 1.5‑ml microcentrifuge tube) with a small amount of 70 % ethanol or keep it dry if the receiving lab specifies.
- Label the container with collection date, location (GPS coordinates if possible), host species, and any clinical observations.
- Include a completed request form that indicates the desired analyses (species identification, PCR for Borrelia, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, etc.).
- Ship via a reputable courier that complies with biological‑specimen regulations; use cold packs only if required by the lab’s protocol.
Contact the appropriate agency first to confirm submission requirements, obtain a tracking number, and ensure the report will be issued in a timely manner.