How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In

Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by koolba on Tuesday March 20, 2018 @11:04PM (#16634996)

> In California, adult ticks carry Lyme bacteria less often than nymphs because of a biological quirk in the region. Ticks that carry Lyme bacteria and feed on the western fence lizard lose their infection in the process. The lizard's blood actually clears the infection, said Andrea Swei, who studies ticks and disease transmission at San Francisco State University.

That’s a new one for me. Any idea why the lizard blood cleans out the ticks?

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by stagbeetle on Tuesday March 20, 2018 @11:26PM (#16635135)

Their immune systems are pretty great at killing viruses and bacteria. Alligator serum is tough against: HIV, West Nile, and Herpes.

A long, but good read, on lizard immune systems can be found here[0].

[0]http://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/5/661

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by ams6110 on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @12:03AM (#16635353)

Yet weirdly the Komodo Dragon lizard has so much bacteria in its mouth that is how it kills its prey. It just bites, and then waits around for the prey to die of infection.

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by jojopotato on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @12:26AM (#16635447)

I was under the impression this wasn’t really believed anymore. The only discussion I can find for it is here though:

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/27/the-myth-...

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by ams6110 on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @12:33AM (#16635486)

Wow interesting that's the first I had heard that the bacteria theory was discredited.

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by EGreg on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @09:01AM (#16637623)

You see? You thought this was a cool FACT but turns out it's just a theory. Be careful about theories people have in biology or zoology.

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by amelius on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @06:34AM (#16636835)

I suppose their immune system also doesn't kill off their gut bacteria.

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by jstapels on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @10:12AM (#16638106)

Yeah, same here. If Lyme disease is incurable, seems like we should be studying the western fence lizard.

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Re:How a Tick Digs Its Hooks In by mantas on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @11:01AM (#16638579)

Lyme disease is curable, at least in early stages. Encephalitis is the nasty one you're probably thinking about.

Source: had Lyme twice, caught early, fully cured after a run of antibiotics.

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