“This disease doesn’t have to be deadly if we just know about it,” McCullick said. “A lot of people could be saved just from the knowledge that needs to get out there.”

First time I heard about it.

    • @Varyk@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      36 months ago

      There’s no inherent “advantage” so much as it’s a result of the tick feeding off animals with those diseases inside them, and then passing those diseases on via its saliva to later meals like humans.

      • @Ptsf@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        16 months ago

        Additionally the bacteria that causes Lyme diseases may actually benefit from this relationship. The environment and nature doesn’t make choices just at the benefit of humans, it’s full scale every organism for themselves.

          • @Ptsf@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            16 months ago

            Kind of hard to ~move around~ when you’re that small, so it could be transport related. Plenty of bacteria and smaller organisms hitch a ride on intermediary hosts just for transport reasons, but they could also benefit in other ways tbh, life is weird and creative like that.