While humans, dogs, horses, mice, squirrels, raccoons and other species can become infected with Lyme disease, deer are considered “noncompetent reservoirs” because they can be infected by but don’t efficiently harbor and transmit the causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi. University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers found that white-tailed deer serum killed the bacteria in cell cultures, and the findings may prompt development of new treatments to protect people.
