New frontiers for coyotes may bring more Lyme disease

Expanding predator populations could explain an uptick in infections

Coyotes expanding into new territories across North America may be driving a surge in Lyme disease.

DOESN’T LIKE COYOTES The red fox (shown) fades away when coyotes arrive, a switch of top predators that lets small rodents, good hosts for Lyme disease pathogens, flourish.