Frequently Asked Questions
Please see our Tick Submission page for instructions and mailing address. Please fill out a submission form. At the completion of the submission form, an ID will be generated for the tick that will be included. If you are submitting multiple ticks, please submit a form for each tick.
Yes! Our name, Nebraska Tick Testing (NeTT) is named after Nebraska because it is where we are hosted — the University of Nebraska Medical Center. A major goal of this program is to understand ticks and their pathogens across the greater Midwest and United States, so ticks from a variety of locations is highly beneficial to us. Any individual across any state is welcome to submit a tick. The submission form will ask for location from where the tick was collected.
At the moment, all tick tests are performed free of charge as a public service.
No. All ticks will be tested as soon as possible and done on a first-come, first-served basis.
No. A submission form must be completed for each tick. This is essential for the automated processes we have established for the testing program.
Yes. Ticks acquired from any source are currently accepted. When completing the submission form, please check the appropriate box for where the tick was found.
At the current moment, we strive to process any tick within 5-7 business days after receiving the sample. The results will be disseminated via the provided email with the report listing the tick ID number. There may be unforeseen circumstances (e.g. extreme weather, etc.) that may impact the turnaround time.
Yes. However, no personnel are staffed during the weekend, so the tick won’t begin processing until the following Monday.
The speed at which we receive the tick will not impact the quality of your test. It is at the submitter’s discretion about the speed at which to ship ticks.
All submitted ticks become the property of Nebraska Tick Testing (NeTT). During the process of the test, the tick is destroyed for the pathogen screening.
No. Our procedures will work whether a tick is dead or alive.
Our testing protocols are robust and, in most cases, will not be affected by these things. Please report this when completing the submission form. There will be a specific question for providing this information.
Scientific literature using similar approaches as ours supports that old/dry ticks can be used to screen for and detect pathogens. We will still process these ticks. The submission form will ask for the date the tick was collected.
NeTT is not an FDA approved diagnostic lab, and the results are not meant to be used as a medical diagnosis. Please always consult with your healthcare provider when making healthcare decisions. We do not advise waiting until tick test results are available.
Similarly, our results are for the tick that you submit to NeTT. It is always possible that there may have been other unnoticed tick bites that may result in disease. Please do not hesitate to consult with a medical professional if you are showing any signs or symptoms of a tick-borne disease or have other medical concerns. Additionally, see our educational resources for signs and symptoms of tick-borne diseases.
NeTT can be used as a powerful tool to understand appropriate public health impacts of tick-borne diseases. We are using this information to understand where the burden of tick-borne diseases is highest in Nebraska, the greater Midwest, and the United States. We want to identify which activities, occupations, or behavioral practices may make an individual more at risk for tick bites and tick-borne diseases. The results we gather from this information will be presented in our annual reports and through peer-reviewed publications.