blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) questing
Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) acquire the pathogen that causes Lyme disease from mice and other small mammals. A new study shows that a drug for protecting pets from ticks could be deployed in rodent baits to interrupt the host-to-vector transmission cycle. (Photo by James L. Occi/Armed Forces Pest Management Board via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)