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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 44% of tick tested are infected with at least one pathogen, 32% are co-infected with two or more, 9% carry three or more, and 3% of the ticks tested carry four or more.
Infection Visualization by Tick Species
All Ticks Tested
44% Positive for Infection
Negative (56%)
24% Positive for Infection
Negative (76%)
14% Positive for Infection
Negative (86%)
3% Positive for Infection
Negative (97%)
Coinfection Visualization
4+ Coinfection (3%)
3+ Coinfection (9%)
2+ Coinfection (32%)
No Co-infection (68%)
Pathogenic Prevalence by Species & Life Stage
Generally, nymphal ticks will have fewer pathogen because they've had fewer opportunities to feed. Our data shows this as well.
Infection Rate for Borrelia burgdorferi between Adult Female and Nymphal Deer Ticks
Nymphal Deer Ticks
Sample size of 3,141 ticks.
24% Positive
76% Negative
Adult Female Deer Ticks
Sample size of 8,989 ticks.
36% Positive
64% Negative
Infection Rate for Anaplasma phagocytophilum between Adult Female and Nymphal Deer Ticks
Nymphal Deer Ticks
Sample size of 2,818 ticks.
Adult Female Deer Ticks
Sample size of 8,578 ticks.
10% Positive
90% Negative
Infection Rate for Rickettsia amblyommii between Adult Female and Nymphal Lone Star Ticks
Nymphal Lone Star Ticks
Sample size of 877 ticks.
49% Positive
51% Negative
Adult Female Lone Star Ticks
Sample size of 291 ticks.
51% Positive
49% Negative
Pathogenic Prevalence in Kentucky
The bars below show the positive/negative prevalence ratio of selected pathogens we test for.
These pathogens were observed in ticks from Kentucky.
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 25 ticks.
Warning: Low Sample Size
20% Positive
80% Negative
Borrelia burgdorferi
(lone star tick) associated with Lyme disease
Sample size of 54 ticks.
Borrelia burgdorferi
(American dog tick) associated with Lyme disease
Sample size of 25 ticks.
Warning: Low Sample Size
0% Positive
100% Negative
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
associated with anaplasmosis
Sample size of 46 ticks.
Warning: Low Sample Size
Babesia microti
associated with babesiosis
Sample size of 26 ticks.
Warning: Low Sample Size
0% Positive
100% Negative
Ehrlichia chaffeensis
associated with ehrlichiosis
Sample size of 77 ticks.
0% Positive
100% Negative
Francisella tularensis
associated with tularemia
Sample size of 34 ticks.
Warning: Low Sample Size
0% Positive
100% Negative
Borrelia lonestari
associated with STARI
Sample size of 25 ticks.
Warning: Low Sample Size
0% Positive
100% Negative
Rickettsia rickettsii
associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Sample size of 65 ticks.
0% Positive
100% Negative
Pathogen and co-infected tick prevalence data is © TickCheck, and is derived from our tick testing results and laboratory research.