Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted through the bite of infected ticks. To ensure that people are safe from the tick that causes Lyme Disease and by trying to confirm it by sending to the Tick Testing Laboratory.

Procedure:

The CAES Tick Submission form should be completely filled out and packaged along with your tick. The form can be filled out and printed here: CAES Tick Submission Form

 Preparing the Tick:

• Do not place the tick on tape.
• Ticks should be placed in a crush-proof container, but if one is not available a sealed plastic bag will suffice.
• Do not package the tick in glass or in other fragile containers.
• Do not package the tick with any objects. This includes paper towels, cotton swabs, plant matter, bandages, or any other materials.
• Do not place the tick in any solution. This includes substances like water and alcohol. All ticks should be submitted dry.

Preparing the Envelope:

• The crush-proof container housing the tick should be tightly sealed and packaged in a padded envelope.
• If a padded envelope is not available, a small sheet of bubble wrap can be added to a regular envelope to help protect the tick from being damaged.
• Please request the mail carrier to handle the envelope containing tick manually and not through a machine. “Please hand sort” can be written on the envelope to help achieve this.

Where Should Tick Samples be Sent?

Ticks should be submitted through your local health department. Contact information for your local health department can be found online at CT Department of Public Health. If you are unable to send the tick through your local health department, please send it directly to:

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Tick Testing Laboratory
Jenkins-Waggoner Building
123 Huntington Street
New Haven CT, 06511

For information on Ticks and Lyme disease, please click here.