Submitting
Ticks
As part
of a program to establish the distribution of the deer tick, Ixodes
scapularis (dammini), the vector for the Lyme disease bacteria
and other pathogens, the MMCRI Vector-borne Disease Laboratory offers
free identification of ticks. The following form should
be used. Ticks will not be tested to see if they contain the Lyme
Disease spirochete because the clinical value of this information is
uncertain. You will be notified of the tick identification as soon
as possible. We regret that staff limitations do not allow us
to identify ticks submitted from outside the State of Maine. In
addition, if it appears from the description in Ticks
in Maine that your tick is a dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis),
we would appreciate that it not be submitted for identification. These
ticks are present in overwhelming numbers, particularly in early summer,
and are not effective vectors of the Lyme disease bacterium.
Why
is this important?
It is important for your physician (or your pet's veterinarian) to know what
species of tick has bitten you (or your pet). It is also important
for us to know the location of the tick for inclusion in our continually updated
distribution map.
How
do I submit ticks?
Remove ticks by grasping them with fine tweezers as near to
the skin as possible and pull gently but firmly. The barbed mouth parts
may not let go easily, so be patient. It may take several minutes or
more. Do not handle ticks with your bare hands.
Ticks should
be sealed in a small, crushproof vial of 70% alcohol, the vial padded
with absorbent paper towel and sealed in a plastic bag, and mailed
to us along with a completed submission form:
Vector-borne
Disease Laboratory
Maine Medical Center Research Institute
75 John Roberts Rd., Suite 9B
South Portland, ME 04106
Print out
the following form,
complete it, and mail it in with the specimen.
Submission forms:
We will
mail a report of the tick's identification to you as soon as possible,
usually within five days. We may also send you a map to identify the
site where you think the tick was acquired.
