- Up to 75% of deer in some parts of Colorado are infected with chronic wasting disease, experts warn
- Deadly brain disease outbreak in 32 US states
- Scientists warned that it could eventually spread and infect humans.
Experts have warned that three-quarters of deer in some parts of the United States are infected with the “zombie deer virus,” which has a 100% mortality rate.
This deadly neurological disease, also known as chronic wasting disease, is currently affecting North American cervids, including deer, elk, and moose.
The brain virus confuses the animals, causing them to drool and become unafraid of humans. In areas where the disease is endemic, prevalence is usually estimated to be up to 25%.
But Colorado experts warn that up to three-quarters of deer in certain areas of the state are infected.
National park users are being asked to remain vigilant and avoid approaching animals that appear to be infected, especially after a sick deer was discovered in Yellowstone late last year.
Scientists have identified chronic wasting disease in 40 of 54 deer herds and 17 of 42 elk herds, Colorado Parks and Wildlife PIO Joey Livingston told Western Slope Now. he said.
Once an animal contracts this disease, there is no cure or treatment. It is 100% deadly. They can become lethargic, selfish, and uninterested in other deer. Their brains are deteriorating and they will look that way,” he told the outlet.
The disease is transmitted through the animal’s molting, feces, and eating areas, and tends to be more common in male deer, especially those that have more interaction with other deer during heat season.
There have been no cases of human infection yet, but scientists suggest it is possible.
The disease is caused by misfolded proteins called prions, which are proteins that don’t fold into the correct shape.
After infection, prions travel throughout the central nervous system, leaving prion deposits in brain tissue and organs.
Recent studies have shown that prions have the ability to infect and multiply in human cells in a laboratory setting, increasing the potential for widespread infection.
It is believed that humans can become infected with the disease by eating infected venison or through contact with contaminated soil or water.
Cervical vertebrates may take up to 2 years for symptoms to appear.
As of last month, there have been confirmed reports of the virus in at least 32 U.S. states and parts of Canada.
Dr Cory Anderson told the Guardian: “The BSE (mad cow disease) outbreak in the UK is an example of how the situation can become chaotic overnight, for example when there is a spillover event from livestock to humans.” he said.
Like chronic wasting disease, BSE is also a disease transmitted by prions.
“We’re talking about the possibility of something similar happening,” said Anderson, program co-director at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
He added: “No one is saying it’s definitely going to happen, but it’s important for people to be prepared.”
Anderson, whose research focused on how CWD is transmitted, said the disease is “always fatal, always incurable, and highly contagious.”
“There is a continuing fear that there is no effective and easy way to eradicate the virus, both from infected animals and from the environment it contaminates.”
CWD was first identified in captive deer at a research facility in Colorado in the late 1960s, and in wild deer in 1981.
By the 1990s, it was being reported in surrounding areas of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.
Prevalence is generally low, but is much higher in captive herds. Reported from at least one captive herd 79 percent of the time (nearly four-fifths of the time).
