Our Tick Testing Data

Each tick submitted for testing contributes to the research being conducted here at TickCheck. By keeping records of all the results generated, we have been able to gain valuable insights into disease prevalence and co-infection rates. The comprehensive testing panel has been especially helpful in contributing to this research by ensuring all diseases and coinfections are accounted for when examining a tick. Our current research shows that 72% of tick tested are infected with at least one disease causing organism, 46% are co-infected with two or more, 15% carry three or more, and 8% of the ticks tested carry four or more.

Infection Visualization by Tick Species

All Ticks Tested

72% Positive for Infection

Negative (28%)

Ixodes scapularis (deer tick)

93% Positive for Infection

Negative (7%)

Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick)

62% Positive for Infection

Negative (38%)

Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick)

47% Positive for Infection

Negative (53%)

Coinfection Visualization

4+ Coinfection (8%)

3+ Coinfection (15%)

2+ Coinfection (46%)

No Co-infection (54%)

Pathogenic Prevalence

The bars below show the positive/negative prevalence ratio of selected pathogens we test for. These pathogens were observed in ticks from the United States and Canada. Data set includes tests performed since TickCheck's founding in 2014 and is updated in real time.

Borrelia burgdorferi (deer tick) associated with Lyme disease

Sample size of 2,694 ticks.

30% Positive

70% Negative

Borrelia burgdorferi (western blacklegged tick) associated with Lyme disease

Sample size of 185 ticks.

4% Positive

96% Negative

Borrelia burgdorferi (lone star tick) associated with Lyme disease

Sample size of 735 ticks.

9% Positive

91% Negative

Borrelia burgdorferi (American dog tick) associated with Lyme disease

Sample size of 808 ticks.

3% Positive

97% Negative

Anaplasma phagocytophilum associated with anaplasmosis

Sample size of 1,551 ticks.

8% Positive

92% Negative

Babesia microti associated with babesiosis

Sample size of 1,347 ticks.

5% Positive

95% Negative

Bartonella spp. associated with bartonellosis

Sample size of 764 ticks.

50% Positive

50% Negative

Ehrlichia chaffeensis associated with ehrlichiosis

Sample size of 670 ticks.

2% Positive

98% Negative

Rickettsia spp. associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Sample size of 779 ticks.

18% Positive

82% Negative

Francisella tularensis associated with tularemia

Sample size of 925 ticks.

1% Positive

99% Negative

Borrelia miyamotoi associated with B. miyamotoi

Sample size of 776 ticks.

7% Positive

93% Negative

Borrelia lonestari associated with STARI

Sample size of 717 ticks.

22% Positive

78% Negative

Babesia spp. associated with babesiosis

Sample size of 387 ticks.

6% Positive

94% Negative

Mycoplasma spp. associated with Mycoplasma spp.

Sample size of 677 ticks.

7% Positive

93% Negative

Borrelia spp. associated with Borrelia spp.

Sample size of 348 ticks.

14% Positive

86% Negative

Borrelia mayonii associated with Lyme disease

Sample size of 124 ticks.

0% Positive

100% Negative

Ehrlichia ewingii associated with ehrlichiosis

Sample size of 190 ticks.

1% Positive

99% Negative

Rickettsia amblyommii associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Sample size of 113 ticks.

46% Positive

54% Negative

Pathogen and co-infected tick prevalence data is © TickCheck, and is derived from our tick testing results and laboratory research.