Susceptibility of White-Tailed Deer to Rift Valley Fever Virus

Abstract

Rift Valley fever virus, a zoonotic arbovirus, poses major health threats to livestock and humans if introduced into the United States. White-tailed deer, which are abundant throughout the country, might be sentinel animals for arboviruses. We determined the susceptibility of these deer to this virus and provide evidence for a potentially major epidemiologic role.

Entomological risk factors for potential transmission of Rift Valley fever virus around concentrations of livestock in Colorado

“…vexans and Ae. dorsalis exhibit very low vector competence in the laboratory (Turell et al, ), this is troublesome, as white‐tailed deer are highly susceptible to RVFV (Wilson et al, ). High vector abundance of these species combined with frequent contact with competent vertebrate amplifying hosts may offset the low vector competence to increase the overall vectorial capacity and contribution of these species to RVFV transmission.…”

“…The environmental receptivity of southern Central Valley of California to the virus has also been modelled (Barker, Niu, Reisen, & Hartley, ), indicating the potential for epizootics from May to September based on environmental suitability and abundances of domestic ungulate hosts and vectors. The high susceptibility of white‐tailed deer is also a major concern, due to the potential for RVFV to establish a sylvatic transmission cycle (Wilson et al, ). Intensive livestock farming practices common in the United States create huge populations of susceptible amplification hosts for RVFV, and many North American mosquito species are expected to be ecologically significant vectors (Golnar, Turell, LaBeaud, Kading, & Hamer, ).…”

Rift Valley Fever Virus: Propagation, Quantification, and Storage

“…Additional animal species with reported seroconversion post‐outbreak include springbok, wildebeest, and black‐faced impala (Andrea Capobianco et al., ). In cell culture and challenge infections, North American wild white‐tailed deer have shown susceptibility to RVFV, suggesting their potential to be a wildlife reservoir in the United States (Gaudreault et al., ; Wilson et al., ). The broad host range of RVFV in ruminants and wildlife reaffirms the potential for devastating widespread losses in a RVF outbreak outside of endemic areas.…”

Rift Valley Fever Virus, Japanese Encephalitis Virus, and African Swine Fever Virus: Three Transboundary, Vector-Borne, Veterinary Biothreats With Diverse Surveillance, and Response Capacity Needs

“…Participants presented and discussed key research areas to improve the national capacity to respond to an introduction of RVFV, including more research regarding the relative importance of North American mosquitoes to transmission of RVFV, and the role of wildlife species to enzootic maintenance of RVFV circulation. Since the time of this publication, additional research has been conducted on the vector competence of North American mosquito vectors for RVFV (8,9,15), and the susceptibility of deer (13). Discussion was held on interagency cooperation and collaboration during outbreak events.…”

“…If introduced, many competent mosquito vectors exist in the US (8,9), and maintenance of the virus in mosquito populations by vertical transmission is possible (10)(11)(12). Deer have recently been shown to be a susceptible amplifying host (13) with viremias capable of infecting blood-feeding mosquitoes, which significantly increases the probability of enzootic establishment (14). Intensive livestock production in the US also creates a vulnerable environment for virus transmission among human and livestock communities by opportunistic mosquito vectors adapted to agricultural environments (15).…”