Tick Saliva Treats Heart Disease

Tick Saliva Treats Heart Disease
Jul-02-17
Researchers have discovered proteins in tick saliva that could treat a dangerous heart disease.

The disease, called myocarditis, is triggered by a common virus that causes the heart to become inflamed. Researchers at the University of Oxford, however, found that the proteins in tick saliva called evasins—which allow them to feed on blood undetected—can also be used to block the dangerous inflammatory proteins.

According to lead author Shoumo Bhattacharya, “We may also be able to use the same drugs to treat other diseases where inflammation plays a big part, such as heart attack, stroke, pancreatitis, and arthritis.”

Image: the cayenne tick, which carries evasin proteins in its saliva

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