New home test to detect Lyme disease in ticks available in Suffolk CountySUFFOLK COUNTY (WABC) -- As Lyme disease cases continue to rise, a new home test designed to detect Lyme disease-causing bacteria in ticks is set to reach consumers later this month in Suffolk County. Some experts estimate there are 476,000 new Lyme disease cases each year in the United States. The test, called LymeAlert, is not intended to test people for Lyme disease. Doctors, however, cautioned that a positive tick test does not determine exactly when a person may have been exposed to an infected tick. They also noted that a positive result from a tick does not mean the person bitten will contract Lyme disease.