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 76% of tick tested are infected with at least one disease causing organism, 49% 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

76% Positive for Infection

Negative (24%)

Ixodes scapularis (deer tick)

95% Positive for Infection

Negative (5%)

Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick)

63% Positive for Infection

Negative (37%)

Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick)

48% Positive for Infection

Negative (52%)

Coinfection Visualization

4+ Coinfection (9%)

3+ Coinfection (19%)

2+ Coinfection (49%)

No Co-infection (51%)

Pathogenic Prevalence in Virginia

The bars below show the positive/negative prevalence ratio of selected pathogens we test for. These pathogens were observed in ticks from Virginia. 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 90 ticks.

21% Positive

79% Negative

Borrelia burgdorferi (lone star tick) associated with Lyme disease

Sample size of 168 ticks.

8% Positive

92% Negative

Borrelia burgdorferi (American dog tick) associated with Lyme disease

Sample size of 38 ticks. Warning: Low Sample Size

8% Positive

92% Negative

Anaplasma phagocytophilum associated with anaplasmosis

Sample size of 70 ticks.

6% Positive

94% Negative

Babesia microti associated with babesiosis

Sample size of 53 ticks.

0% Positive

100% Negative

Bartonella spp. associated with bartonellosis

Sample size of 30 ticks. Warning: Low Sample Size

53% Positive

47% Negative

Ehrlichia chaffeensis associated with ehrlichiosis

Sample size of 106 ticks.

3% Positive

97% Negative

Rickettsia spp. associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Sample size of 104 ticks.

34% Positive

66% Negative

Francisella tularensis associated with tularemia

Sample size of 124 ticks.

1% Positive

99% Negative

Borrelia miyamotoi associated with B. miyamotoi

Sample size of 64 ticks.

3% Positive

97% Negative

Borrelia lonestari associated with STARI

Sample size of 160 ticks.

20% Positive

80% Negative

Mycoplasma spp. associated with Mycoplasma spp.

Sample size of 63 ticks.

19% Positive

81% Negative

Borrelia spp. associated with Borrelia spp.

Sample size of 45 ticks. Warning: Low Sample Size

13% Positive

87% Negative

Ehrlichia ewingii associated with ehrlichiosis

Sample size of 33 ticks. Warning: Low Sample Size

0% Positive

100% Negative

Rickettsia amblyommii associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Sample size of 27 ticks. Warning: Low Sample Size

67% Positive

33% Negative

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