Can predators reduce tick-borne diseases?

Predators play key roles in intact ecosystems and help maintain biodiversity. Recently, it has been suggested that predators may also reduce tick-borne diseases. Most tick-borne diseases are caused by pathogens that reside in rodents. Rodents, in turn, are important prey for predators. By killing and frightening rodents, predators could potentially reduce the density of infected ticks. However, no study has so far experimentally tested this hypothesis, or uncovered the underlying mechanisms. In this study, I experimentally test whether and how predators affect tick-borne disease transmission, thereby considering both existing and novel hypotheses.