A team of researchers has potentially found a game-changing approach to tackle one of the deadliest tick-borne diseases by examining how ticks fight back against the virus.
Scientists at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine focused on Rhipicephalus microplus, a tick species infamous for carrying the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus. This disease can lead to high fever, serious bleeding, and unfortunately, even death—the worse part is, there’s currently no vaccine or approved treatment.
In a remarkable development, the team mapped the response of tick cells to infection, pinpointing two proteins that empower the ticks to prevent the virus from spreading.
Professor Alain Kohl, who holds a chair in virology and emerging infectious diseases at LSTM, noted, “Our research revealed that ticks possess intricate mechanisms for detecting and combating viral infections. This insight is vital because knowing how ticks regulate viruses could lead us to new strategies for breaking the transmission chain to humans.”
Marine Petit, the lead author and a virology lecturer at the University of Surrey, highlighted the importance of understanding how these proteins operate. According to her, this knowledge not only illuminates how ticks endure hazardous viruses, but also paves the way to find methods to interrupt disease spreading.
If scientists can learn to mimic or enhance this natural protective ability, they could very well halt the virus completely. Such advancements could safeguard human health, reduce burdens on healthcare systems, and make our time outdoors much safer.
This endeavor isn’t unprecedented—in fact, researchers have been looking to nature for solutions before. For instance, studies have attempted to use mosquito biology to block malaria and have explored plant compounds that defend against bacterial infections.
These discoveries remind us that the natural world can offer more insights than we may realize—sometimes, it’s those smallest creatures that might help us address the most significant challenges we face.
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Scientists Unveil New Method to Combat a Fatal Tick-Borne Virus first appeared on The Cool Down.
