Re: [DIYbio] Anti-Tick Bio-Weapon?

There is the fairly famous idea talked about by Kevin Esvelt on the use of gene drives on the white-footed mouse,  This would appently eradicate Lyme disease

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/01/02/rewriting-the-code-of-life

On Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 4:26 PM, Cory Geesaman <co...@geesaman.com> wrote:

I was reading this article discussing how this year is expected to have above average numbers of ticks with associated Lyme infections.  It got me wondering if there is any basis for a virus or bacterial infection which might be used to wipe out an entire species, namely ticks.  It seems like a benign mouse STD which either sterilizes or kills ticks which infect it could work.  Is there already research being done into such things?  Are there mechanisms to ensure a virus will only adversely impact a specific species?  Would they work at the DNA level (i.e. seeking out a specific sequence) or require that a specific protein exist in the target species?  I'm aware this could be really dangerous if it mutated the wrong way and have no intention of attempting it, just curious.

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