A new test for ticks

Las Vegas — The trend of outdoor living has generated positive hardware store traffic for years. But the great outdoors include more than just fun and games. It's also a realm of critters and ticks.

With Lyme disease described by the Center for Disease Control as the fastest growing, most commonly reported vector borne illness in the United States, a Cutter Lyme Disease Tick Test was introduced here at the National Hardware Show.

Brodheadsville, Pa.-based EPA Enterprises introduced the product as a fast, 99.9% accurate DNA test result that tells users if a tick is a carrier of Lyme disease. The kit tests the tick, not the person or the pet. Notification within three days of sample receipt is one of the selling points of the kit.

With an MSRP of about $25, with no follow-up lab fees, the product is described as ideal for anyone in activities such as hiking, camping, hunting or fishing.