Assessment of the market for a novel tick removal device and Borrelia detection service

Lyme disease or borreliosis is a potentially serious ailment whose incidence in Scotland isincreasing, with 285 human cases recorded in 2008, up from only 3 in 1999. It is caused bythe spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by the bites of ticks. The infection has anacute form, manifested by flu-like symptoms and excessive fatigue often (but not invariably)accompanied by a characteristic 'bullseye' rash. This phase of the disease can be cured byantibiotics but if left untreated for more than 2-3 weeks, a more serious condition maydevelop, leading to chronic immunological, neurological or psychological disorders. Thischronic phase of Lyme disease is difficult to cure, involving prolonged treatment withintravenously administered antibiotics.I propose to develop a novel type of tick removal device which would cause the animal todetach without leaving damaged mouthparts in skin tissue and require no manual dexterity tooperate. The proposed tick removal device would be marketed as part of a service wherebyticks would be immobilised and/or killed and preserved for transportation to a testinglaboratory, where they would be analysed by to determine whether they harboured infectionswith B. burgdorferi. The sender (possibly utilising free postal delivery included withpurchase of device) would be advised of the result by e-mail within three days of receipt.Lyme disease has only become a significant public health problem in the UK in the pastdecade and lack of awareness among the general public (even high-risk groups) is low that itis difficult to assess the potential market for the device and/or service. I propose to carry out aproof of market study involving questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus groupdiscussions to determine whether there is a perceived need for this package among people atrisk of acquiring Lyme disease.