Chronic wasting disease influences activity and behavior in white‐tailed deer

Abstract

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious and fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of members of the family Cervidae. Although CWD has been a serious concern among wildlife managers in several states in the United States and 2 Canadian provinces for over a decade, it is not known how CWD affects movement of hosts during the preclinical and clinical phases of disease. We hypothesized that normal movement patterns are altered by CWD. We evaluated migratory status, migration corridors, dispersal behavior, hourly activity patterns, home range areas, and resource selection for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of known CWD status as a means of understanding how CWD infection influenced habitat use and disease spread. We captured deer, tested for CWD by tonsil biopsy, marked deer with radio-transmitters (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010) or global positioning system collars (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010), and recaptured individuals annually for CWD testing. The proportion of CWD-positive females that migrated was significantly less than CWD-positive males. All deer that were CWD-negative were more active than their CWD-positive cohabitants, which was most pronounced in fall for males when CWD-positive deer were significantly less active throughout the day. Home range areas were small (x ¼ 1.99 km 2 ) and were larger for CWD-negative females than CWD-positive females. Resource selection analyses indicated that all deer, regardless of CWD status, sex, or migratory status selected riparian habitats. Riparian habitats represent high CWD risk areas that should be targeted for potential disease management actions (e.g., surveillance, culling, environmental treatments). Ó

The ecology of chronic wasting disease in wildlife

“…insipidus‐like syndrome of polydipsia) (Williams & Young, ; Miller, Wild & Williams, ). Additionally, infected deer reduce their spatial movements late in infection due to the diminished alertness, movement, and lethargy observed in the clinical phase of the disease (Fox et al ., ; Edmunds et al ., ). Reduced spatial movement during the last stage of the infection may facilitate concentration of infectious material in specific locations.…”

Update on chronic wasting disease (CWD) III

“…Local environmental characteristics (e.g. watering sites, riparian habitats) can increase the probability of aggregation of animals and therefore of transmission of the disease (Miller and Conner, 2005;Edmunds et al, 2018) Miller and Conner (2005) cross-s D N Edmunds et al…”

Detection error influences both temporal seroprevalence predictions and risk factors associations in wildlife disease models

“…Probability of detecting a pathogen when present might depend on seasonality, climate, host age, etc., because these factors could interact with the effect of the pathogen on behavior or survival of infected individuals (Jennelle, Cooch, Conroy, & Senar, ). For example, deer infected with chronic wasting disease have been observed to be less active, less likely to migrate, and have home ranges that are 160% smaller than uninfected deer (Edmunds et al, ). This reduced activity can result in increased sampling of uninfected individuals, leading to lower estimates of prevalence (Nusser, Clark, Otis, & Huang, ).…”

“…While demographic risk factors may influence exposure risk at a local scale (Figure 4), spatial heterogeneity of these effects might cause them to diminish at the national scale. Previous studies have found that wild pig contact is strongly influenced by local scale factors of animal age, group membership, and distance between group home ranges (Pepin et al, 2016;Podgórski, Apollonio, & Keuling, 2018 and have home ranges that are 160% smaller than uninfected deer (Edmunds et al, 2018). This reduced activity can result in increased sampling of uninfected individuals, leading to lower estimates of prevalence (Nusser, Clark, Otis, & Huang, 2008).…”