What is the “zombie deer disease” that alerts scientists

When an unnamed deer died in Yellowstone National Park in the United States in October, no one paid attention. Two months later, the “zombie deer disease” It has reached other countries such as Canada and is putting the health system on alert. There is a fear that the virus could transmit to humans as happened with Covid

For years, chronic wasting disease (CWD), caused by prions (abnormal, transmissible pathogens), has spread across North America, with concerns expressed primarily by hunters. after noticing that the deer were acting strangely.

Prions cause changes in the brain and nervous system of deer, leaving the animals drooling, lethargic, emaciated, stumbling and with a tell-tale “blank look.” leading some to call it “zombie deer disease.” It is spread through the cervid family: deer, moose, moose, caribou and reindeer. It is fatal and there is no known treatment or vaccine.

Its discovery in Yellowstone, whose ecosystem is home to the largest and most diverse range of large wild mammals in the continental United States, represents an important public wake-up call, says Dr. Thomas Roffe, a veterinarian and former animal health officer. for the Fish & Wildlife Service, a U.S. federal agency.

“This case puts CWD on the mainstream radar in a way it hasn’t before, and that’s, ironically, a good thing,” he claims. “It’s a disease that has huge ecological implications.”

Roffe had predicted for decades that CWD would come to Yellowstone, warning that both the federal government and the state of Wyoming needed to take aggressive action. to help slow its spread. Those warnings were largely ignored, he says, and Now the consequences will be revealed to the millions of people who visit the park every year.

What it is and how it is transmitted

The most obvious signs in animals are apathy, weight loss and even excessive drooling. Regarding its transmission, the US National Park Service explained that it can occur through direct animal-to-animal contact, or indirectly through contact with infectious particles that persist in the environment, such as feces, soil or vegetation.

Although the same North American organization has stated that, currently, there is no evidence or proof that this disease can be transmitted to humans, it has recommended that citizens avoid consumption of tissues from animals infected with chronic wasting disease. “It is recommended that people avoid consuming any part of an animal suspected or confirmed to have CWD.”

In the United States and Canada, CWD has attracted attention not only because it affects big game but also for the possibility that it can overcome the species barrier

“The BSE (mad cow disease) epidemic in Britain provided an example of how, overnight, things can go crazy when a contagion event occurs. from livestock to people,” says Dr. Cory Anderson. “[vacaslocas)enGranBretañaproporcionóunejemplodecómodelanochealamañanalascosaspuedenvolverselocascuandoocurreuneventodecontagiodesdedigamosganadohastapersonas”diceeldoctorCoryAnderson“We’re talking about the possibility of something similar happening. “No one is saying this will definitely happen, but it is important that people are prepared.”