Recent research on deer keds, understudied ectoparasites of deer

Deer keds are understudied ectoparasitic biting flies. They usually feed on deer but sometimes bite humans, pets, and other animals. Deer keds shed their wings after landing on a host, so have historically been ignored as pathogen vectors. However, half a dozen tick-borne pathogens have been sequenced from deer keds in the last decade. It’s unclear if deer keds can vector these pathogens or what risk they might pose to people and wildlife. We summarize recent work done in Pennsylvania that has examined where deer keds occur in the state, what pathogens they might carry, and if they react to common insect repellents.