An experimental vaccine to control Lyme disease in mice shows promise, according to researchers.
Controlling Lyme disease in mice would reduce its spread to people. Mice carry the bacteria that cause the condition and infect ticks who bite them. Ticks infect new mice when they feed on them, and ticks also transmit the disease to people, NBC News reported.
"Over a few years we saw a 75 percent reduction in the number of infected ticks," Dr. Tom Monath, a member of the board of U.S. Biologic, told NBC News. "That would almost certainly result in a reduction of human infections."
The company is seeking U.S. Department of Agriculture approval for the vaccine, which would be distributed in places where people are at risk of getting infected with Lyme disease, such as hiking paths and parks.
About 300,000 people in the United States are infected with Lyme disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.