Our lab offers pathogen testing services (with a monetary donation to cover testing materials and graduate student labor) to people who want to have ticks tested. Ticks can also be donated to add to our database at no cost. Donations are always accepted (and appreciated!). See below for more information on how to test or donate your ticks.
Donating ticks (for free!):
Ticks pulled off of you or your pet can be donated to our lab to add to our data for no cost. For hunters–ticks removed from game animals are also always accepted. Please include who or what the tick was pulled off of (human, dog, deer, etc.), the date the tick was found, and the general geographic location where you might have picked the tick up.
Ticks can be dropped off Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM-5:00 PM at Office 110 in the Mills Godwin Building at Old Dominion University. Alternatively, ticks can be or mailed to:
- ODU Tick Research (c/o Holly Gaff)
- Dept. of Biological Sciences
- Mills Godwin Building Office 110
- Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529
Please freeze all ticks for at least 36 hours prior to shipping. For general mailing, one stamp is sufficient for ticks that are scotch-taped to an index card or contained in a ziploc bag. Questions about the donation process can be sent to hgaff@odu.edu.
Rapid tick testing ($50 fee):
Our lab routinely tests ticks that are collected in the field or sent to us. If you are requesting testing with results for a specific tick, we ask for a donation ($50 per tick) to cover our expenses in the extraction and testing of the ticks.
Information gained from testing your ticks may be incorporated into our research data on distribution of tick-borne pathogens across the Commonwealth of Virginia. By sending us your tick you are agreeing to have the data on the tick and any associated pathogens included in our tick-research project. We will never use any personally identifiable data.
We will test the tick for Borrelia burgdorferi, B. miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia chaffeensis and E. ewingii. We will also test for the presence of Rickettsia spp. (additional tests to determine exact Rickettsia sp. as appropriate) and Babesia microti. Different pathogens are carried by different ticks, so depending on the tick you send us the tests for the most likely pathogens will be carried out first. Other tests may take a little longer. Our aim with testing is to get you the results of the most likely pathogens carried by your tick within a week of receiving the samples.
We use PCR based assays for pathogen detection, which are sensitive and specific. However no test is 100%; extraction issues or qPCR errors can result in less than 100% accuracy.
To send us a tick: Put your tick in a small ziploc bag and freeze it for at least two hours to ensure it is dead. Make sure the bag is completely sealed, and place into a standard or padded envelope. Please include information on where you think you picked up the tick and a contact e-mail so we can send you the results of our testing. Please make the check out to “Old Dominion University” and write “Tick Research” on the memo line.
Our results are not diagnostic – they can only tell you what may be carried by the tick. A negative result does not mean the pathogen is not there, it may be below the level of detection. A positive test does not mean you were exposed, just that there was the potential for exposure. Be sure to follow up with your healthcare provider for any signs or symptoms you might experience including fever, rash, etc.
Please let us know if you are sending us a tick or if you have any questions: whynes@odu.edu or hgaff@odu.edu.
Ticks can be mailed to:
- ODU Tick Research (c/o W. Hynes)
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Mills Godwin Building
- Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529