"Bacteria, usually Borrelia burgdorferi, carried by black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks, causes Lyme disease. The bacteria originate in rodentsticks bite the animals and become carriers, and then the arachnids bite humans, sometimes passing the bacteria on. Ticks typically need to be attached to someone for a day or longer to actually spread the bacteria to their host, however."
"Despite this established pathway for the disease, Kennedy has promoted the conspiracy theory that Lyme was bioengineered; on a 2024 podcast, he mused that the condition is highly likely to have been a military weapon. And at a roundtable on Monday, Kennedy appeared alongside Republican Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, who authored the defense bill directive to investigate a possible connection between the military and Lyme."
President Donald Trump is expected to sign a defense bill that mandates a Government Accountability Office probe into claims that the U.S. military bioengineered Lyme disease. The claims were promoted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who suggested on a 2024 podcast that Lyme disease is highly likely to have been used as a military weapon. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria carried by black-legged (deer) ticks that acquire bacteria from rodents and sometimes transmit it to humans after prolonged attachment. Representative Chris Smith authored the directive and appeared with Kennedy at a roundtable. If enacted as written, GAO will have a congressional mandate to investigate.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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