Tick bite you? Now you can get it tested and find out if it carries disease-causing pathogens.
How it works
- Remove the tick.
- Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag. If you cannot mail the sample within 24 hours, store the sealed bag in the freezer until mailing or in-person drop-off. If you are submitting more than one tick, each must be in a separate bag.
- Order your test online. Visit unh.how/tick. If you are reading this you are in the right place!
- Complete your order. Pay online and receive your confirmation code. Multiple ticks can be added to one order, but each incurs a separate testing fee.
- Label the bag. Clearly write the confirmation code on the bag containing the tick. For multiple samples, add A, B, C… after the confirmation code to keep them organized.
- Prepare for mailing. Place the sealed bag with the tick and confirmation code into a mailing envelope.
- Mail your sample. Send the envelope to the address provided.
- Receive your results. Your results will be emailed to you as early as 3 days after we receive your sample. Please note that mailing time may vary and is outside our control.
*Samples can also be dropped off in person in the red cooler located in the main vestibule of Gregg Hall on the UNH main campus in Durham.
Mail to:
UNH Collaborative Core Wet Lab
Attn: “COCO Lab” Rm 334
35 Colovos Rd
Durham, NH 03824
If you are experiencing any medical issues, consult a medical professional.
Email us with questions at UNH.CCWL@unh.edu
Testimonials
- Sending in the tick I found was easy and step by step. Once the lab received the tick it was timely results, letting me know that the tick was not infected and what kind it was. Brought relief as I know what the ticks can carry. Send in a second one and just as timely results. Thankful we have a lab in NH where I could submit a sample as a citizen not doctor/patient or veterinarian.
- As a veterinarian, I truly appreciated having a place to send the tick I found attached to myself. Thank you!
- The UNH Tick Testing Lab was such an important resource to me this past year. I was bit by a deer tick in the late spring while I was 5 months pregnant with my son. Because of my pregnancy I thought it especially important to get the tick tested immediately. After some research, I decided to contact the UNH Tick Testing Lab. The service was easy, quick and gave me the reassurance I needed as a first-time mom. The results arrived in my inbox within a day of them receiving my tick in the mail. I cannot recommend them enough!
- It’s really important for folks in New Hampshire, especially the north country where there are limited resources, to have access to tick checking labs for pathogens that could cause Lyme disease . The tick population has grown in recent years, particularly due to warmer winters, and they have become a deep concern. Since our medical facilities do not analyze ticks when people have been bit, our treatment may be insufficient if the tick carried Lyme. By having access to accurate information of pathogens , it allows individuals to relay information to their physicians in a timely manner . The only prohibitive issue is cost, which is incurred by the test itself and postage. Many folks, especially families, do not have the resources . If cost could be lessoned it would help with accessibility. I am deeply appreciative of UNH Wet Lab and will continue to rely on its services.
FAQs
Depending on the tick species, we will run one of two panels. Our lab technicians will determine which panel is appropriate for your tick.
Ixodes ticks (e.g. black-legged ticks) are tested for:
- Borrelia burgdorferi (causes Lyme)
- Borrelia miyamotoi
- Anaplasma phagocytophilum
- Babesia microti
- Powassan virus
Non-Ixodes ticks (e.g. dog ticks) are tested for:
- Ehrlichia muris
- Francisella tularensis
- Rickettsia rickettsii
- Powassan Virus
Please note that you may include up to five ticks in a single order, and only one combined report will be issued per order. This report will indicate whether any of the ticks tested positive for concerning pathogens, but it will not provide individual results for each tick. This option is best used when the ticks come from a single individual or pet.
*If you need separate results for each tick, please place an individual order for each one.
