Lyme disease ticks produce antibiotic that protects them from human skin bacteria
E-Mail Ticks live dangerous lives, spending most of their time questing for a host across wildly different habitats and seasons. Once they encounter a reptile, bird, or a mammal like us, they become intimately connected with it -- and all of its bacteria and viruses -- for days on end. Though ticks are notorious for transmitting pathogens such as the Lyme disease bacterium, how does their immune system keep them safe from contracting pathogens themselves? In a study published in Cell on December 10, 2020, a research team led by UC San Francisco's Seemay Chou, PhD, provides an answer to thi...
Source: eurekalert.org