A white-footed mouse with black-legged ticks on its ears. The mice in the study carried an average of 23 ticks.
When researchers at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies began a recent study, they wanted to know the answer to a simple question: What effect do ticks have on the health of mice?
After all, prior research had established that white-footed mice are the most prevalent and effective sources of the pathogens that cause Lyme disease and other serious ailments. Dutchess County has led the state in cases of Lyme, a disease with a potentially devastating impact on long-term health.
What the scientists discovered shocked them. ...