Magic Tick Spit Could Prevent Lyme Disease
Yale scientists found tick spit has powers
By BOB CONNORS
Updated 2:25 PM EDT, Thu, Nov 19, 2009
The answer to a finding a vaccine against Lyme disease might be found in, of all things, tick spit.
Researchers at Yale have discovered a protein in tick saliva that has helped to prevent mice from developing the mysterious and often debilitating disease.
The findings are published in Thursday's issue of Cell Host & Microbe.
Yale scientists say instead of the usual method of using the bacterium that causes disease to produce a vaccine, they targeted antibodies in the protein of the tick's saliva, which can give immunity to Lyme disease.
Beyond Lyme disease, researchers say this breakthrough could have applications for other diseases as well.
"Currently, we are working to determine if this strategy is likely to be important for West Nile virus infection, dengue fever and malaria, among other diseases," lead Yale author Erol Fikrig, M.D. told the publication.
Incidentally, Lyme disease gets its name from the town of Lyme, where the disease was first identified in this country in 1975, according to the Directors of Health Promotion and Education.
First Published: Nov 19, 2009 12:42 PM EDT
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