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 75% of tick tested are infected with at least one disease causing organism, 50% are co-infected with two or more, 19% carry three or more, and 9% of the ticks tested carry four or more.

Infection Visualization by Tick Species

All Ticks Tested

75% Positive for Infection

Negative (25%)

Ixodes scapularis (deer tick)

95% Positive for Infection

Negative (5%)

Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick)

62% Positive for Infection

Negative (38%)

Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick)

48% Positive for Infection

Negative (52%)

Coinfection Visualization

4+ Coinfection (9%)

3+ Coinfection (19%)

2+ Coinfection (50%)

No Co-infection (50%)

Pathogenic Prevalence in Rhode Island

The bars below show the positive/negative prevalence ratio of selected pathogens we test for. These pathogens were observed in ticks from Rhode Island. 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 50 ticks.

36% Positive

64% Negative

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