Many people are concerned about what might be in the insect repellants they apply to their skin or clothing.

Researchers have found a genetic “switch” in fruit flies that plays an important role in making flies more tolerant to alcohol. This metabolic switch also has implications for the deadly liver disease cirrhosis in humans. A counterpart human gene contributes to a shift from metabolizing alcohol to the formation of fat in heavy drinkers. This shift can lead to fatty liver syndrome — a precursor to cirrhosis.

Deer ticks that can transmit lyme disease are being found most often along the Red River corridor and into the Lake Winnipeg area.That’s the bad news students heard at Bug Day at University of Manitoba this week.

Babesiosis is a potentially dangerous parasitic disease transmitted by ticks and is common in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. It can also be transmitted through a blood transfusion from an infected but otherwise asymptomatic blood donor. A new study finds a dramatic increase in the number of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis cases, leading to a call for a better screening test in blood donors living in areas of the country where babesiosis is prevalent.