Tick Collection For Lyme Disease Analysis

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to encounter a tick bite, what did you do with the tick after you had carefully removed it? A previous study urged those of us who had fallen victim to these pesky critters, to try to preserve the tick safely and then send it off  for analysis. The purpose of doing so was to find out if the tick that had taken a bite was carrying the bacteria that can lead to Lyme disease. Here’s an article with more information.

Researchers Study Thousands Of Ticks Collected By The People They Bit

Could the tick that just bit you carry a pathogen that causes Lyme disease or another ailment? If you’re worried, you could ship the offending bug to a private testing service to find out. But between August 2016 and January 2017, you could have gotten a free analysis by sending it to Nathan Nieto’s lab at Northern Arizona University. You’d get back info on the critter that bit you and, if applicable, a pathology report.

Of course, this was only between August 2016 and January 2017 and a goodwill gesture research project. However, this was a great way to get members of the public involved and raise awareness when it came to tick borne diseases.

Continuous research is taking place, and this video demonstrates how ticks can be collected for further study.

Studies like these are so important for our future health when it comes to protecting ourselves from ticks, as areas are able to be identified where infected ticks are growing in population. It’s not just Lyme disease we need to be mindful of either.

Diseases spread by ticks are on the rise — here’s what you are at risk for throughout the US

Beware the tick. The tiny arthropods — ticks are not insects, but a type of arachnid, like spiders or scorpions — carry a significant and growing number of diseases. And humans don’t know how to stop them. Using the right repellent on clothes and skin can keep them away for a time. But on the whole, ticks continue to spread, expanding their ranges and bringing both diseases we know and relatively unknown illnesses with them.

Ticks are most active at this time of year, and the bad news is, they are getting resilient to the colder weather too, so are hanging around longer. Don’t just ‘brush off’ a tick bite. Know what action to take and where to seek advice should you need it.