Tick Season Outlook: Elitza Theel, Ph.D.

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, to discuss tick-borne diseases and the latest testing options.

Specific topics of discussion include:

• The types of tick-borne diseases found throughout the United States.
•  Algorithmic approaches and testing methods used to diagnose tick-borne diseases.
• Helpful resources for clinicians, including Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ Acute Tickborne Disease Testing Algorithm and Lyme Neuroborreliosis Diagnostic Algorithm.
• New tests recently developed by Mayo Clinic Laboratories to aid in the diagnosis of tick-borne disease, including:
  • A broad range bacterial PCR and sequencing test for tick-borne bacteria and some zoonotic bacterial pathogens that may have a similar presentation (Mayo ID: BRBST).
  • Molecular PCR testing to detect the viral RNA of Heartland virus in spinal fluid (Mayo ID: HRTVC) and serum (Mayo ID: HRTVS).
• Preventing tick bites.