“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
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    31 month 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.

    • @[email protected]
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      11 month 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.

      • @Varyk
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        11 month ago

        How do you think those bacteria could benefit?

        • @[email protected]
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          11 month 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.

          • @Varyk
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            11 month ago

            I like that mobility perspective, good point