The uncertainty after being bit by an organism that may transmit diseases and infections can be unnerving. This is especially true for ticks. These tiny arachnids can carry the bacteria that cause conditions like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). If you or a family member has been bit by a tick, time is of the essence.
Most tick-borne infections are treatable with antibiotics when caught early on. The issue is that early detection is often difficult and missed. Many symptoms of tick-borne infections are non-specific and can be confused with other conditions. Also, many people don’t even realize that they were bit by a tick in the first place.
Tick-borne disease testing is one of the most important ways to help protect yourself and your loved ones from ticks. Luckily, there are more and more options these days when it comes to choosing the right test. Let’s take a look at the different types of samples that can be used to detect tick-borne infections.
Tick-Borne Disease Testing Sample Types
Blood Samples
Blood samples are usually the go-to for many laboratory tests and therefore what most people tend to be familiar with. For most people, blood samples can provide reliable test results when taken at the appropriate time after possible exposure to a tick-borne illness.
Blood tests can be taken via finger prick or venously. Many at-home Lyme tests currently on the market use a finger prick, which is not as effective as a vein, as a vein can provide a larger and higher quality sample. Thus, finger prick tests are less reliable and patients looking for a blood test should make sure the sample is taken venously.
Urine Samples
After blood testing, one of the most common samples used to test for diseases, in general, is urine. Urine can be used to test for Lyme disease along with other tick-borne illnesses, including:
- Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever
- Babesiosis
- Bartonellosis
- Ehrlichiosis
- Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA)
- Rickettsia (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever)
Urine samples are often used during the acute phase of a tick-borne infection, before antibodies are present. They can also be used for people who are seronegative, meaning they don’t have the same antibodies as someone who is seropositive, making it difficult to detect infection through antibodies.
Additionally, urine is effective in allowing healthcare providers to perform an antibiotic challenge. This helps draw the bacteria or parasite into the urine.
Another benefit to using urine samples is that they can be easier to obtain than blood, for example. This is especially true for children or people who are weary of blood.
Cerebral Spinal Fluid Samples
Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, watery fluid that’s found around your brain and spinal cord. This fluid cushions your brain and spinal cord, helps with cerebral blood flow, and transmits waste from brain cells. It can also carry bacteria and viruses, making it useful for diagnostic testing.
Lyme disease testing using CSF checks for antibodies produced by your immune system. It also looks at white blood cells, which can indicate infection and any bacteria that may be present.
Cerebral Spinal Fluid can be used to test for tick-borne diseases such as:
- Lyme disease
- Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF)
- B. henselae (Bartonellosis)
- Rickettsia (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever)
If left untreated, Lyme disease can potentially cause meningitis – an infection in the tissues around the spinal cord and brain. CSF testing can help determine if Lyme disease or other infections have spread to your central nervous system to help prevent any potential complications.
This test may be used if you’re displaying symptoms like:
- Muscle and joint aches
- Facial palsy
- Meningitis
- Painful nerve inflammation
- Numbness or difficulty controlling muscles in your body
- Weakness
Placenta and Breast Milk Samples
When left untreated, Lyme disease infection during pregnancy can be spread to the fetus via the placenta. This is very rare, and adverse birth outcomes can typically be prevented with prompt antibiotic treatment.
Placenta testing may be done after birth to help determine whether a tick-borne infection may have been transmitted in utero.
You might be wondering how a Lyme disease infection may affect lactation. As of now, there have been no reported cases of Lyme disease transmission through breast milk.
Choosing the Right Test
Because time is such an important factor when it comes to tick-borne disease testing, it makes sense to want to choose the right test right off the bat. Important factors to keep in mind when deciding the right test are how long it’s been since you were bit (if you know), what symptoms are present, how easy it will be to obtain the sample, and what other tests you’re doing.
Besides understanding what types of samples may be used, you’ll also want to be familiar with different methodologies of testing and what to look for in a tick-borne disease test.
Another important step in preventing the transmission of tick-borne diseases is avoiding tick bites in the first place.
When you’re in an area where ticks are present, you can help prevent bites by:
- Covering arms and legs, you can even tuck pant legs into socks
- Wearing long hair up
- Using bug spray with DEET or insect-repellent essential oils
- Thoroughly check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks after being in areas where they might be present
If a tick bite does occur, you now have better insight into how to choose the right samples for testing. Learn more about all the tick-borne disease testing options from IGeneX.
