NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Yale University researchers in New Haven, Conn., have determined vaccinating wildlife might reduce the incidence of Lyme disease in humans.
In a four-year study of isolated woodlands near New Haven, nearly 1,000 white-footed mice were trapped and either vaccinated against Lyme disease or given a placebo.
Fewer deer ticks tested positive for Lyme disease in the experimental plots where mice had been vaccinated.
"Vaccinating wildlife increases our prevention options," said study leader Durland Fish.
However, a surprising result of the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is that mice are not as important in maintaining the Lyme disease bacterium in nature as previous studies showed.
"We now believe that mice are responsible for only 27 percent to 55 percent of the infection found in ticks," said Fish. "This changes our view on how Lyme disease is circulated between wildlife and ticks."
