Upstate Medical University’s Tick Testing Laboratory provides free tick testing within New York State as part of a research project in order to provide credible information on the risk of ticks and tick-borne diseases in New York State.
Visit the Upstate Tick Laboratory Website for daily up-to-date information.
Read the updatesUsing samples from across the state
The lab is tracking the emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in New York by using ticks collected from various locations as well as those received via tick submission from the public. Using samples from across the state, Upstate’s lab tests each tick for several diseases including Lyme, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Ehrlichia and several others. The researchers are then able to learn the percentage of ticks carrying either Lyme disease or another type of disease transmitted by ticks.
The data collected through this project will serve as a resource to communities to assess the prevalence of ticks in the area and the risks of diseases they carry as well as to healthcare providers to improve diagnosis and clinical care. In addition, they aim to help researchers understand the factors influencing the emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in New York, to predict hot spots of disease risks and develop novel countermeasures to control ticks and diseases they carry.
