Free Tick Testing Offered For Hudson Valley Residents

There's a brand new resource for Hudson Valley residents in the war on ticks. If you find a tick on yourself or pet, you can now get that tick tested for disease, for free.

The Thangamani Lab at SUNY Upstate Medical University has launched a program to study the geographic expansion of ticks and tick-borne diseases in New York. To expand the study passed the existing central New York focus they need submissions from the Hudson Valley and other parts of the state.

Ticks will be identified by species before being tested for pathogens. Received samples should be processed in 5-7 days followed by test results delivered via email.

If you have a tick you'd like to submit for testing:

Put the tick, dead or alive in a Ziploc bag with a most tissue paper or grass.
Place the Ziploc bag in an envelope with the date, location (zip code), whether it was found on a human or pet, and an email address to share the results.
Ship to the lab at the address below.

Thangamani Lab
4209 Institute For Human Performance
505 Irving Avenue
SUNY Center For Environmental Health and Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse NY 13210

A disclaimer on the labs' website states the tick testing is meant for academic/research purposes and should not be considered a diagnostic tool or basis on which to make health care decisions. So in other words, see a doctor if you have any symptoms or questions.

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