Why haven't we developed vaccines against ticks?
Context Considering how widespread, annoying, and dangerous ticks are, I'd like to know why we haven't developed vaccines against them. An older thread here mentioned a potential prophylatic drug against Lyme, but what I have in mind are ticks in general, not just one species. I would have thought at least the military would be interested in this sort of thing. Simple Answer Vaccines work by teaching your body to recognize and fight off specific diseases. Ticks don't cause diseases, they just spread them. We can't make a vaccine against something that isn't causing the problem itself. It's like trying to make a vaccine against a mosquito bite. The diseases ticks spread are the real problem, so vaccines are focused on those diseases. There are already vaccines for some of the diseases ticks carry, like Lyme disease. Research is ongoing to develop vaccines against other tick-borne illnesses, but it's a complex and challenging process. Detailed Answer The reaso...