2024-02-22 18:14:34
In the United States, chronic wasting disease is spreading in forests and putting scientists on alert. More than 800 affected deer and elk are affected in the state of Wyoming alone. Although no contamination has been observed in human, the evolution of the disease is closely scrutinized.
It was a first case detected in Yellowstone Park in the United States at the end of December which revived concern around this condition. The spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), also nicknamed “zombie deer disease”, which is rampant among deer across the Atlantic, has been a source of concern among specialists for several years now. But according to an article published in The Conversation published this Monday, February 19, the latter continues to gain ground in the United States, with no less than “800 positive samples from deer and elk in the state of Wyoming alone (United States)”. Still according to the media which mentions several reports, between 7,000 and 15,000 infected animals are consumed by humans each year.
Although no contamination has been observed in humans for the time being, the evolution of the disease is being closely scrutinized.
What is this disease?
Chronic wasting disease is a degenerative disease that attacks the central nervous system of infected animals and causes “a myriad of symptoms such as lethargy, loss of balance, drooling and a blank stare”, detailed The Conversation. Like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), better known as “mad cow disease”, it is caused by an infectious agent called a “prion”. “CWD of cervids damages parts of the brain and usually causes a progressive decline in body condition, changes in behavior, excessive salivation, and ultimately death,” explained an article from the New York State Department of Health dating from 2011.
Hence the nickname given to the disease which causes affected animals to have a staggering gait and a very characteristic “blank stare”.
What regarding transmission to humans?
As the hunting season approaches, the American Center for Disease Control warned last December once morest consuming meat from animals showing such signs and potentially infected. Their fear: that the disease will spread to humans. Studies have in fact already demonstrated that human cells can be infected under laboratory conditions. In addition to the threat of direct transmission, scientists are also concerned regarding potential contamination of soil or even water.
-
Read also
“Wild boar pseudo-rabies”: what do we know regarding this rare disease which is resurfacing in France?
As a reminder, Creutzfeld-Jacob disease or “mad cow disease” in cattle led to no less than 178 human deaths in the 1990s in the United Kingdom and the slaughter of several million animals.
Cases in Europe?
It was in the early 2010s that “zombie deer” disease was first spotted on the North American continent, in Canada and the United States. It has since been spotted in Northern Europe with cases recorded in Norway, notably in 2016, where the government has been monitoring deer populations since then.
In this context, specialists warn of the need for international cooperation in order to better control the disease.
A. LG
1708634871
#Zombie #deer #disease #spread #worries #specialists
