Vector-Borne Diseases

Tick-Borne Disease Testing Video

The expansion of the geographic range of ticks in the United States exposes more of the population to tick-borne disease. Because of this increased risk, physicians need to recognize who to test, which test to use, and when to test.

Bobbi S. Pritt, MD, Director of the Clinical Virology and Parasitology Laboratories in the Division of Clinical Microbiology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the proper utilization of Mayo Medical Laboratories' full menu of tick-borne tests.

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Ehrlichia – New Species Identified

Mayo Medical Laboratories has detected a new pathogenic Ehrlichia species. Analysis at Mayo Clinic and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown this species to be closely related to Ehrlichia muris, a species not previously reported in North America. Detection of this new Ehrlichia species is the subject of an article authored by Bobbi S. Pritt, MD and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Malaria – Test Now Detects Fifth Species

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium. Human malaria is generally attributed to four primary species. However, a fifth species, Plasmodium knowlesi, is now recognized as responsible for up to 75% of malaria infections in some areas. Mayo Clinic’s Malaria Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test can detect and differentiate P knowlesi, which is often misidentified by blood smear morphology as P malariae, a less virulent species.

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