Effective September 20, 2021, The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) will not accept blacklegged ticks for bacterial testing of Borrelia burgdorferi, as part of the passive tick surveillance program. Passive tick surveillance will be supported by citizen science initiatives, such as eTick.ca, which utilizes digital image-based identification. Health care providers can submit a specimen for tick species identification through either eTick.ca, for quick and accurate tick species identification or the Public Health Ontario Laboratory. To reduce duplication of services, only submit the tick once to one authority. The Public Health Ontario Laboratory will not forward blacklegged ticks to the NML for laboratory testing. Laboratory testing of the specimen should not be used to diagnose Lyme disease in humans.
