Where to submit a found tick? - briefly
Contact the local public health department or vector‑borne disease surveillance program to report the tick. Many regions also offer online portals or university‑run laboratories for specimen submission.
Where to submit a found tick? - in detail
When a tick is discovered, the appropriate channel for reporting depends on the purpose of the submission—public health monitoring, research, or personal verification.
Public health agencies maintain surveillance programs to track tick populations and disease risk. In the United States, state health departments typically accept specimens through their vector‑borne disease units. Contact information is available on each department’s website; submissions are usually sent by mail or courier with a completed collection form. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also provides a national reporting portal for health professionals, allowing electronic entry of tick data and, when required, physical specimens.
Academic and research institutions often run tick identification services. University entomology departments, agricultural extension services, and specialized laboratories accept ticks for species confirmation and pathogen testing. Most require a small fee and a brief label indicating collection location, date, and host. Instructions for packaging (e.g., placing the tick in a sealed vial with ethanol) are supplied on the institution’s web page.
Veterinary clinics and animal shelters can forward ticks to the state’s animal health division. This route is useful when the tick is found on a domestic animal, as the division may integrate the information into both human and animal disease surveillance.
For individuals seeking personal confirmation, commercial tick identification kits are available. These kits include a prepaid envelope and a questionnaire; the tick is mailed to a certified laboratory that returns a species report and, if requested, a pathogen test result.
Summary of submission options:
- State health department vector‑borne disease unit – mail or electronic portal.
- CDC national reporting system – electronic entry for professionals.
- University or research lab entomology department – mail with fee, detailed label.
- State animal health division via veterinary clinic – mail, integrates animal data.
- Commercial identification service – prepaid kit, species and pathogen report.
Each pathway requires accurate documentation of the tick’s collection site, date, host, and preservation method. Selecting the appropriate channel ensures that the specimen contributes effectively to disease monitoring, scientific research, or personal health assessment.