Deer slaughter may not stem rise in Lyme disease, experts warn

Deer feeding at first light; deer are just one of several hosts for ticks. Photograph: Peter MacDiarmid/Rex/ShutterstockBritain’s deer are being unfairly singled out as the chief culprits in spreading Lyme disease, experts claim. By contrast, they say the role played by other factors – and animals – should also be examined.Open season on deer commenced last week when the BMJ reported that UK cases of the disease, a bacterial infection passed to humans by an infected tick bite,