Lyme Disease, Vector-Borne Diseases, and Malaria

Vector-borne diseases, explained 

Vector-borne diseases are caused by pathogens like parasites, viruses, and bacteria, and spread to humans by a carrier, formally called a vector. Vectors are often blood-sucking organisms such as mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies. Malaria, dengue, and Lyme are common vector-borne diseases. 

More than half of the world's population is at risk of contracting vector-borne diseases, but they disproportionately affect poor populations in tropical and subtropical areas. In total, they kill more than 700,000 people each year. 

Vaccinations, window screens, insecticides, and clearing stagnant water all help to prevent many of these infections. Beyond vaccination research, ongoing gene-editing work in the lab seeks to slash the transmission of vector-borne disease, possibly by rendering disease-carrying mosquitoes infertile. Other proposed solutions include infecting mosquitoes with naturally occurring bacteria called Wolbachia to either reduce specific mosquito populations entirely or block viral replication in mosquito tissues, thereby helping fight diseases including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

Explore everything else we've found on Vector-Borne Diseases. 

Also, check out ... 

> Mosquitoes are the world's deadliest animal—but they're also pollinators. (Read)

> Mosquitoes even have olfactory receptors on their sperm. (Watch) 

> "Sloth fever" is an emerging health threat, especially to pregnant women. (Read) 

> Ticks are extremely hard to kill. (Watch) 

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Lyme disease 101 

Lyme disease is a common infectious disorder that causes pain, fatigue, and muscle aches. It's caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium that is transmitted to humans via the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. White-footed mice and other small woodland mammals are the main carriers of Lyme. White-tailed deer also act as hosts for disease-carrying ticks, but the quadrupeds don't become sick with the disease. 

Researchers estimate that more than 14% of the global population has contracted Lyme at some point. It can be debilitating, but it's treatable with antibiotics. First reported in 1975 among patients in Lyme, Connecticut, the disease can be hard to detect unless a patient develops and notices a skin rash. In the US, the economic burden of the disease is around $1B annually. 

As of early 2026, a potential Lyme vaccine was in late-stage clinical trials, and other efforts to slash the disease include a Massachusetts-based research project—first proposed for a trial on a private island—to genetically engineer mice using CRISPR to become immune to Lyme and then pass that trait on to their offspring. 

Explore everything else we've found on Lyme Disease.

Also, check out ... 

> Tick saliva has a numbing agent, so you won't feel the bite. (Read) 

> Lyme disease tests often return false negatives for a week post-bite. (Read)

> Ticks survived 27 years in a lab—including eight without food. (Watch)

> Search for Lyme disease incidence in your county. (Read)

What's malaria? 

Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in human history. In 2024 alone, there were roughly 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths, most of which occurred in Africa. The disease is particularly lethal for young children. Its symptoms include fever, chills, seizures, and headaches. 

It's caused by Plasmodium parasites and spreads through mosquito bites. This occurs when Anopheles mosquitoes bite an infected human and contract the parasite, the parasite develops in the gut of the mosquito, and the mosquito later bites another person—releasing the parasite into the bloodstream. Even after malaria treatment, infection can sometimes return because the Plasmodium parasite may not be completely eliminated. 

Malaria prevention includes using insecticides to avoid bites and taking antimalarial drugs before traveling to malaria-endemic areas. Yet expanding mosquito ranges, growing insecticide resistance, and Plasmodium antimalarial resistance are ongoing challenges. Recently, malaria vaccines have been recommended by the World Health Organization for children living in malarial zones, but the multishot regimens have limited effectiveness. Gene engineering mosquitoes to be malaria-resistant or infertile is an area of active investigation, alongside further vaccine development.

Explore everything else we've found on Malaria.

Also, check out ... 

> Hear what it's like to have malaria. (Listen)

> Yes, many animals get malaria—not just humans. (Read)

> Malaria vaccines are not routine because they have limited effectiveness. (Read)

> Ten malaria cases were locally acquired in the US in 2023. (Read)

 Medical Developments Spotlight 

We love spending time learning about the latest medical breakthroughs and spotlighting research that piques our interest, may influence future research directions, or inform healthcare conversations. Here's what we found this week.

> Ticks carrying more than one disease that sickens humans are on the rise in the US

Ecosphere | Shannon L. LeDeau, Kelly Oggenfuss, et al. Of the over 2,000 ticks collected by a research team in New York between 2014 and 2022, more than a third tested positive for at least one pathogen that could be transmitted to humans. Roughly 1 in 10 tested positive for at least two disease-causing pathogens. The ticks most often tested positive for the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and for a parasite that causes babesiosis, a malaria-like infection. (Read) 

> Vaccinating bats against disease—with vaccine-laced mosquitoes

Science Advances | Hongyue Li, Fei Yuan, et al. Researchers in China tested a transmissible rabies vaccine in the lab by feeding mosquitoes blood containing the vaccine and observing what happened to bats when they were either bitten by the mosquitoes or fed on them. The bats developed antibodies against rabies and survived subsequent rabies infection. The team performed similar work with other small animals and a different virus, and also conducted separate experiments immunizing bats via vaccine-laced saline water that the animals drank—a more promising and relevant approach for fruit-eating species that carry pathogens that can sicken humans, like the Nipah virus. (Read)

In partnership with Particle

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Best of the Week

We curate hundreds of resources into 1440 Topics each week. Here are some of our favorites from the world of health and medicine.

> If you can do something in less than a minute, do it, and be happier.

> Brain organoid research creating "mini-brains" is raising new controversies.

> Drink water before you caffeinate.

> Fixing a racially biased medical test that affects kidney transplants.

> Baby microbiomes are a growing business. 

> Could testing for a reduced sense of smell improve healthcare? 

> On modern AI and what constitutes consciousness.

> Dads' environmental exposures affect babies, too.

> A universal vaccine for multiple respiratory illnesses looks promising in mice.

> Menstrual blood can provide a window into uterine health.

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