Understanding Your Results

When discussing your TickCheck Tick Testing results with your doctor, you want to take into consideration, the species of the tick, how long the tick was attached, and which diseases came back positive. Many diseases can only be transmitted if the tick is attached for a minimum amount of time or by certain species of tick. Please refer to the disease chart below to find information about transmission time, symptoms, testing, and treatment. Regardless of test results, if you are having any symptoms or concerns please contact your physician immediately.

Medical Disclaimer: These tests are not intended to provide clinical diagnosis of disease nor should they be interpreted as a substitute for clinical testing or consultation with a physician. TickCheck does not practice medicine nor does it provide medical advice. Tick tests provide accurate assessment of infection status, which is one factor in determining risk of exposure to disease causing microbes. Results from your tick test are useful in determining the timing, location, and abundance of infected ticks. Because these tests are not recognized as clinical evidence, they are not typically covered by medical insurance, even though your physician may recommend having the tick tested.

My tick came back negative, but I am having symptoms of tick-borne disease. What do I do?

64-86% of individuals who test positive for tick-borne diseases don’t recall ever being bitten by a tick. If you found a tick attached and feeding, you have been exposed to tick habitat and may have been bitten by other ticks that you did not find. If your test results come back negative, but you are feeling symptomatic, please contact your physician immediately as it is still possible to have contracted a tick-borne disease from a different tick.

What if my tick came back positive for Lyme but isn’t a blacklegged or Western blacklegged tick?

Current research states lone star, American dog, Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, and Rocky Mountain wood ticks are unable to transmit Lyme disease, even though they can test positive for it; however, nothing is 100%. If you are concerned or having symptoms, please contact your physician immediately.

What is Rickettsia endosymbiont and what does it mean if it came back positive?

Rickettsia endosymbiont is a broad term which includes any non-pathogenic Rickettsial bacterial species that lives within the tick. Research suggests the presence of Rickettsia endosymbiont may speed up transmission time of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. If Rickettsia endosymbiont came back positive, but Borrelia burgdorferi did not, then there is no need for concern. However, if both Borrelia burgdorferi and Rickettsia endosymbiont came back positive, then length of attachment time of the tick should be reconsidered, as it is possible it took less than time than normal for transmission to occur.

What does spp. mean?

Spp. refers to a species. Some of our tests will broadly test for any kind of species which falls into a category of pathogen. For instance, our Borrelia spp. test may come back positive if any Borrelia species bacterium is present in the tick including, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia mayonii, and Borrelia miyamotoi. Spp. tests offered by TickCheck include, Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, and Rickettsia.

If one of your spp. tests came back positive and you would like to know specifically which species is present in your tick, you may purchase Species Sequencing for an additional $99.99.

What diseases are caused by tick-borne pathogens?

Diseases

Testable Pathogens & Their Associated Diseases

Testable Pathogen	Associated Disease
Blacklegged Ticks & Western Blacklegged Ticks
Borrelia burgdorferi	Lyme disease
Anaplasma phagocytophilum	Anaplasmosis
Babesia microti Babesia duncani	Babesiosis
Bartonella henselae Bartonella spp.	Bartonellosis
Mycoplasma fermentans Mycoplasma spp.	Mycoplasmosis
Borrelia miyamotoi	Relapsing Fever like
Rickettsia endosymbiont	Non-Pathogenic Rickettsia endosymbiont is a broad term which includes any non-pathogenic Rickettsial bacterial species that lives within the tick. However, research suggests the presence of Rickettsia endosymbiont may speed up transmission time of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease.
Lone Star Ticks & Gulf Coast Ticks
Ehrlichia chaffeensis Ehrilichia ewingii	Ehrlichiosis
Francisella tularensis	Tularemia
Borrelia lonestarii (Potentially)	STARI
American Dog Ticks & Pacific Coast Ticks
Francisella tularensis	Tularemia
Ehrlichia chaffeensis Ehrilichia ewingii	Ehrlichiosis
Rickettsia rickettsii Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsia philipii	Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Brown Dog Ticks
Rickettsia rickettsii Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsia philipii	Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

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