DNA Tests
The Tick Lab offers two DNA testing panels to detect the pathogens that can cause tick-borne disease here in Maine. After your tick has been identified, the Tick Lab will select the appropriate test for your sample based upon what pathogens that tick species is able to transmit. The following table lists the tests conducted on each tick species:
| Deer ticks and other Ixodes species | American dog ticks, lone star ticks, and other non-Ixodes species |
| Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Lyme disease) |
Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain spotted fever) |
| Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Anaplasmosis) |
Ehrlichia species (Ehrlichiosis) |
| Babesia microti (Babesiosis) |
Francisella tularensis (Tularemia) |
| Borrelia miyamotoi (Borrelia miyamotoi disease) |
Note: The American dog tick is not known to transmit disease in Maine, though it is associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other diseases in other parts of the country. Testing of this species is done to proactively monitor whether new tick-borne diseases are occurring in Maine. American dog ticks are also not known to transmit Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) thus we do test them for this pathogen. For more information on the diseases that are known to occur in Maine, visit our tick-borne diseases page.