The answer to a finding a vaccine against Lyme disease might be found in, of all things, tick spit.

The State University College at Oneonta’s Biological Field Station recently reported the area may be seeing an increase in deer ticks, and county health officials have reported more cases of Lyme disease.

A representative of a lab specializing in tests for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses will be the guest speaker at a meeting tonight of the Capital District Chapter of the Empire State Lyme Disease Association.

A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, researchers have discovered. The findings may spur development of a new vaccine against infection from Lyme disease, which is spread through tick bites.