If you find a tick you may want to know if that tick is carrying a pathogen, such as Borrelia burgdorferi which causes Lyme disease. Biomeme’s state-of-the-art lab tests ticks using a technique called Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect the presence of pathogens that cause tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease. PCR is the gold-standard in molecular detection used by labs around the world because it is the most sensitive, specific technique to detect the actual genetic signature of a pathogen (bacteria, virus, etc.) within a sample. PCR offers superior accuracy and/or speed when compared to other detection methods, like culture or ELISA.
Our Standard and Be Prepared Kits both test for the most common tick-borne pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Anaplasmosis) and Babesia microti (Babesiosis). Our Standard Kit is $49.95. Our Be Prepared Kit consists of 4 Standard Kits and costs $99.95 for a limited time only ($25 ea). Keep a kit on the fridge or gift it to a loved one in time for this tick season!
Yes. Your personal contact information is only used to send your test results.
Positive results do not necessarily mean you’ve been infected, so we encourage you to consult your doctor or veterinarian. It’s important to note that our tick testing service is not a substitute for medical consultation or diagnosis.
No.
Highly unlikely. DNA remains stable for long periods of time, but if we determine that your tick cannot be tested we will contact you immediately.
No.
Yes (for the most part), but it’s important to provide the gut of the tick to help us determine the presence of pathogens.
Do not put your tick in anything other than water. This includes alcohol, tape, vaseline, toilet paper, facial tissue, cotton balls, medical or prescription bottles, nail polish, bleach formaldehyde, formalin, etc.. If you’ve already put your tick in one of these, it may still be testable so long as the substance did not damage the nucleic acid.
You should receive your collection kit within 2-5 business days. We recommend you pre-order and keep our Be Prepared Kit so you or your loved ones are always ready to immediately test a tick this season.
Each tick testing kit includes a prepaid mailer you can use to mail your tick to our laboratory. Please be sure to complete and include your test submission form in addition to your tick inside the poly specimen bag provided.
Biomeme offers a 24-hour turnaround once our lab receives your tick for testing. Your test results will be delivered via email. If the results should be delivered to someone other than the individual who purchased the kit, please include their email address on your test submission form.
With the purchase of a single Standard Kit, you can send one tick. With the purchase of a single Be Prepared Kit, you can send up to 4 ticks. Please place the ticks in their own specimen bags and complete a test submission form for each tick. Should you so choose, you may mail everything in the same prepaid mailer.
Positive results do not necessarily mean you’ve been infected. Please consult your doctor or veterinarian. Transmission of a pathogen from the tick to its host is dependent upon how long the tick had been feeding, and each pathogen has its own transmission time.
Yes, you can check the status of your order without contacting us directly by logging into your Biomeme Shop account and navigating to the Order Status page.
From the CDC website:
If you find a tick attached to your skin, there’s no need to panic—the key is to remove the tick as soon as possible. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers work very well.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept insurance payments for tick testing services.