A step in fight against tick-borne disease
Photos by Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Science & Tech A step in fight against tick-borne disease New molecular method differentiates sexes, reveals whether females have mated Clea Simon Harvard Correspondent June 11, 2025 4 min read Ticks pose a grave risk to public health, with nearly half a million cases of the tick-borne Lyme disease treated every year in the United States. Young nymph and adult female ticks typically pose the greatest risk for transmitting infection to humans. But, researchers say, there is much that is unknown about the sexual biology of ticks, knowledge that would prove useful in control efforts. A new paper published in the Journal of Medical Entomology marks a major stride forward, chronicling a groundbreaking molecular method that differentiates male and female blacklegged ticks (commonly called deer ticks) and also reveals whether these arachnids have mated. Lyme is perhaps the best-known disease passed by ticks, but the bacterium behind that malady is just one of several associated...