The Wyoming Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease in a deer corpse from Yellowstone National Park in the USA. It is a disease caused by prions, transmissible pathogens that establish themselves as hosts in the animal’s brain, leaving it lethargic. Hence the nickname of a possible new epidemic that has been frightening North America: zombie deer disease.
“We are dealing with a disease that is invariably fatal, incurable and highly contagious. The concern is that we do not have an easy and effective way to eradicate it, neither from the animals it infects nor from the environment it contaminates,” said Dr. Cory Anderson for The Guardian.
The Park’s statement indicated that this was the first death from the disease. Some tests were being carried out with local animals, and the deer in question died around seven months after the start of the studies. Physiological and behavioral changes are part of the symptoms that affected the animal.
In addition to the concern for park mammals in the USA, Chronic Wasting Disease also gains attention for its possible ability to go further and infect humans. Deer, elk, and moose can infect cattle and other mammals. However, despite the warning, epidemiologists say that it is not guaranteed that the infection will occur.
A study by the Alliance for Public Wildlife estimates that 7,000 to 15,000 animals infected with Chronic Wasting Disease were eaten by humans. However, there are no confirmed cases of transmission.