Lyme Disease Testing

Lyme disease is tramsitted by bites from infected ticks In the UK, bites are most commonly aquired when walking in woodland and heathland areas, with ticks most prevelant in Southern England and Highland Scotland

Most people bitten will not notice at time and only realise when they see a tick embedded in their skin or weeks later when a bull’s eye rash develops In left untreated the symptoms can be very unpleasant, including:

• Heart palpitations
• Facial palsy
• Severe joint pain
• Short term memory loss

What should you use

Ticks should be removed using a specialist tick removing tool or fine tip tweezers. Do not use blunt tip tweezer as these are prone to squeeze the body of the tick. The tick should be pulled out steadily and evenly. Do not twist the tweezers when removing the tick.

How to store

Once removed the tick should be placed in a rigid container to minimise the risk of it being crushed in transit. Alternatively, a sealed bag such as a freezer bag, placed inside a rigid shipping container can be used. The tick can either be killed by freezing for 48 hours prior to shipping or sent live.

How to submit for testing

Fill in the Lyme disease PCR submission form available for download from our Submission Forms page and send it in to us with the tick. Results are usually available 3-5 working days from receipt of sample.

What next

If the result is negative no trace of the bacteria associated with Lyme disease have been found, if the result is positive DNA consistent with bacteria which cause Lyme disease has been found, and there is therefore a risk of Lyme disease developing. The test report should be discussed with your doctor at the earliest opportunity, and can be used as a timely, accurate basis for initiating appropriate treatment and minimising the risk of long term illness.