By Terri McCormick

As tick‑borne diseases continue to rise, scientists are working to create better diagnostic tools.

The idea behind this work is simple: doctors can’t treat an infection if they can’t reliably detect it. And to detect these microbes, researchers first need to understand how they behave inside the body.

In a recent educational webinar, Jennifer C. Miller, PhD, of Galaxy Diagnostics, explained how tick‑borne pathogens spread, how they hide, and why testing can be so challenging.

Her main message was clear: improving diagnostic accuracy starts with understanding what these organisms do once they enter the human body.

How ticks transmit infection

Ticks usually pick up bacteria or parasites from small animals like mice, squirrels, and birds. Humans are most often infected by nymphs — tiny ticks that are so small many people never notice the bite.

Once a tick attaches, microbes enter the skin and immediately face the immune system. Some are destroyed, but others survive, move into the bloodstream, and spread into tissues. This helps explain why tick‑borne infections can affect so many parts of the body, including joints, muscles, nerves, the heart, skin, and the brain.

Built for survival

A major point in the webinar was how well these pathogens can hide from the immune system. Dr. Miller explained that some microbes change their outer surface or interfere with immune signals, making it harder for the body to recognize and fight them.

When the immune system can’t easily detect an invader, the infection may last longer and become harder to diagnose and treat. Understanding these survival tricks is essential for developing better tests.

Why detection is not always straightforward

The biology of tick-borne pathogens directly influences the difficulty of testing. Some pathogens evade immune recognition, migrate into tissues, or remain present in small numbers. This makes them harder to detect and requires highly sensitive diagnostic methods.

Dr. Miller explained that pathogens like Bartonella and Babesia don’t stay in one place. They may appear in the blood one day and disappear the next, even though they’re still in the body.

This fluctuating presence can make them harder to find, particularly when testing captures only a single moment in the infection process.

Encouragingly, the scientific community is actively working to close these diagnostic gaps. Researchers are studying how tick-borne pathogens survive, move through the body, and evade detection so that testing methods can better reflect these biological realities. This growing body of research represents an important step toward more accurate diagnostics and earlier identification of infection.

Why this science matters

For many patients, this research helps explain why diagnosis can be so complex. Understanding how these organisms persist and evade detection provides important context for interpreting test results and seeking appropriate care.

Tick-borne infections are biologically complex conditions capable of affecting multiple systems throughout the body. Continued research, education, and clinical awareness remain essential to improving diagnosis and care.

Because ultimately, better detection begins with better science.

Note: Dr. Miller’s webinar was originally designed for medical professionals, so some sections may feel overly technical to general audiences. Still, Galaxy Diagnostics has made the full presentation freely available for anyone who wants to learn more. You can watch it here.

Terri McCormick is a writer and advocate with LymeDisease.org. She is author of the forthcoming book Being Misdiagnosed: Stories That Reveal the Hidden Epidemic of Lyme Disease.