California Tick Testing Service
Professional tick testing for Lyme Disease and other tick-borne pathogens.
Concerned about a tick bite? California's diverse outdoor environments—from humid coastlines to high-elevation mountain ranges—create a risk for tick-borne diseases. Given the popularity of outdoor activities, California residents and visitors must be aware of tick-borne infections such as Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Tularemia, Relapsing fever and Spotted fever. Symptoms from a tick bite might not appear immediately. Therefore, it is recommended to remove the tick promptly with tweezers and save it for identification and/or testing to aid accurate diagnosis if needed.
Ticknology offers a comprehensive Universal Tick Test and tick identification services to help you assess your risk for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in California. Our services cover:
- Lyme Disease
- Anaplasma
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Rickettsia rickettsii)
- Other spotted fever groups
- Tick-borne Relapsing Fever
- Babesia
- Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
California Ticks and Risks
Every region of the U.S. has different tick species along with various types of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. California alone is home to nearly 50 tick species, including the American dog Tick, Pacific Coast tick, and Western blacklegged Tick. Due to increased tourism, environmental changes, and tick migration, we may see a rise in tick-borne diseases such as Lyme Disease. Our comprehensive tick testing service addresses all tick species that affect U.S. residents, whether they originate from California or elsewhere. As a result, our advanced testing detects various pathogens, offering crucial insights for disease prevention and management.
The spatial tick map above illustrates tick species distribution and activity patterns.
California Tick Species Abundance and Activity
Our analysis shows that the Western dog tick (a.k.a. Dermacentor similis) is the most common species submitted for testing in California, followed closely by the Western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus). Based on public tick submissions, heightened activity for Dermacentor in California occurs April through August. While Dermacentor ticks are rarely associated with diseases such as Spotted fever or Tularemia, Ixodes ticks (such as the Western blacklegged tick) pose a higher risk for Lyme Disease and other serious illnesses including Anaplasma, Babesia and Tick-borne relapsing fever.
It should be noted that Ixodes ticks show peak activity January through June in California. Given this heightened and prolonged activity period, it is crucial to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to prevent tick bites and the potential spread of tick-borne diseases.
Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Illnesses in California | Monitoring and Prevention
Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease) has been detected throughout California, and is on the rise in Ixodes species ticks (mainly detected in counties such as Mendocino, Sonoma, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Humbolt, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara, and Marin). In addition to Lyme Disease, these ticks also spread Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia and Borrelia miyamotoi. While Western blacklegged ticks are most prevalent in California’s coastal regions and along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range, it is crucial to remain vigilant. Proactive measures are essential to manage and prevent the spread of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses throughout the state.
The figure above shows six submitted ticks that were found to carry Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease).
Anaplasmosis
Anaplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Anaplasma phagocytophilum and is most commonly transmitted through Western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes pacificus). The image to the left displays six Western blacklegged ticks, all of which were found to carry this bacteria.
Symptoms of Anaplasmosis include:
- Fever, chills
- Severe headache
- Muscle aches
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite
Click to learn more: CDC Anaplasmosis
Tick-borne Relapsing Fever
Tick-borne relapsing fever is caused by the bacteria, Borrelia miyamotoi, and can be carried by the Western blacklegged tick in California. The image to the left illustrates six submitted ticks, all Western blacklegged ticks, found to carry this bacterium.
Symptoms are Tick-borne relapsing fever include:
- Chills or shakes
- Fatigue
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headache
- Muscle and joint aches
Click to learn more: CDC Hard Tick Relapsing Fever
Universal Tick Test
One Test
3 Easy Steps
$60 -Results in 48-72 hr
$40 -Results in 3-5 days
Tick DNA test includes:
- Lyme disease
- Borreliosis
- Bartonella species (* $10 option at checkout)
- Borrelia miyamotoi
- Borrelia mayonii
- Anaplasmosis
- Babesiosis
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis
- Tularemia
- Ehrlichiosis
*All Borrelia (Lyme) tests are repeated at no extra charge.
*Every sample is saved for 1 year in the event that additional tick DNA testing is necessary.
*Results are emailed to you within our guaranteed processing time.
Tick Testing in 3 Easy Steps
Step 1
Save your tick in a plastic bag.
Step 2
Order your test online.
Step 3
Send it to our lab.
SOS! If you or a family member have been bitten by a tick, testing it for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases may aid in immediate medical decisions. It’s easy! Simply remove and save your tick in a Ziploc bag, order a Universal Tick Test online and then send us your specimen using supplies from home.
Satisfaction Guarantee
99.9% accurate tick DNA testing | Free tick identification & image | Confirmation email of specimen arrival | Your results are reviewed by a Ph.D. level scientist | All tick species are tested for Lyme disease & co-infections
Customer Feedback
"Highly satisfied with your service! Thank you so much! Used it twice already." - S.V. Aug., 2024
"Wonderful. My family and I are so happy we found Ticknology. As someone with chronic Lyme disease, I am constantly worried about ticks in our backyard. Ticknology has come through a few times now...." B.F. April, 2024
"Very pleased with the service. Response time was great, communication via email was very prompt and on schedule, would use this service again if needed. Thank you so much." -M.L. Feb., 2024
"I’m glad we used this for peace of mind. It was very easy to do and the results were quick." -M.E. June, 2024
Questions?
Please contact Ticknology. We will respond within 24 hours.