Mice may drive Lyme disease more than deer

By: Amanda Watford

Outlets: Stateline

Published: August 17, 2026

Words: 671

Last Updated: 1 day, 1 hour ago

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For more than three decades, researchers have been tracking ticks, mice, oak trees and other wildlife in a New York forest to better understand what makes Lyme disease more likely to spread.

Their latest findings challenge some long-held assumptions — including the idea that deer are a major driver of Lyme disease risk.

Researchers at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, a nonprofit environmental research group, found that white-footed mice, not white-tailed deer, are closely …

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