The ecology of chronic wasting disease in wildlife

Escobar, Luis E.; Pritzkow, Sandra; Winter, Steven N.; Grear, Daniel A.; Kirchgessner, Megan S.; Dominguez‐Villegas, Ernesto; Machado, Gustavo; Peterson, A. Townsend; Soto, Claudio

doi:10.1111/brv.12568

Cited by 52 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 169 publications

(257 reference statements)

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“…Finally, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) (for review see Escobar et al ., ), a spongiform encephalopathy similar to ‘mad cow’ disease and Creutzfeldt–Jacob disease in humans, is spreading rapidly across the U.S.A. and now in parts of Europe (Benestad et al ., ). It is caused by prions that are taken up in plants and can persist in the soil for long periods (Johnson et al ., ).…”

Section: Consequences Of Deer Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Deer, wolves, and people: costs, benefits and challenges of living together

2020

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Human-driven species annihilations loom as a major crisis. However the recovery of deer and wolf populations in many parts of the northern hemisphere has resulted in conflicts and controversies rather than in relief. Both species interact in complex ways with their environment, each other, and humans. We review these interactions in the context of the ecological and human costs and benefits associated with these species. We integrate scattered information to widen our perspective on the nature and perception of these costs and benefits and how they link to each other and ongoing controversies regarding how we manage deer and wolf populations. After revisiting the ecological roles deer and wolves play in contemporary ecosystems, we explore how they interact, directly and indirectly, with human groups including farmers, foresters, shepherds, and hunters. Interactions with deer and wolves generate various axes of tension, posing both ecological and sociological challenges. Resolving these tensions and conflicts requires that we address key questions using integrative approaches: what are the ecological consequences of deer and wolf recovery? How do they influence each other? What are the social and socio-ecological consequences of large deer populations and wolf presence? Finally, what key obstacles must be overcome to allow deer, wolves and people to coexist? Reviewing contemporary ecological and sociological results suggests insights and ways to improve our understanding and resolve long-standing challenges to coexistence. We should begin by agreeing to enhance aggregate benefits while minimizing the collective costs we incur by interacting with deer and wolves. We should also view these species, and ourselves, as parts of integrated ecosystems subject to long-term dynamics. If co-existence is our goal, we need deer and wolves to persevere in ways that are compatible with human interests. Our human interests, however, should be inclusive and fairly value all the costs and benefits deer and wolves entail including their intrinsic value. Shifts in human attitudes and cultural learning that are already occurring will reshape our ecological interactions with deer and wolves.Biological Reviews 95 (2020) 782-801

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Section: Consequences Of Deer Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Deer, wolves, and people: costs, benefits and challenges of living together

2020

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“…To date, there are no reports of prion disease transmission to livestock or humans in CWD endemic areas, either because there is a strong species barrier to non-cervid species [ 61 ], or not enough time has passed for sufficient dose exposure or incubation period. Epidemiological data, as well as in vivo and in vitro experiments, have been used to assess the likelihood of CWD crossing the species barrier into humans, with mixed results.…”

Section: Crossing the Species Barriermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Human brain homogenates, transgenic mice, and 239F cells expressing human PrP with the 129M or 129V polymorphism were able to support PrP CWD amplification in PMCA, with preferential conversion of PrP harboring the 129M allele. Interestingly, the number of amplification cycles required differed depending on the strain of CWD used; mule deer PrP CWD required multiple rounds, whereas elk and white-tailed deer PrP CWD required only one [ 61 , 63 , 64 ]. Whether this represents a difference in species barrier is unclear.…”

Section: Crossing the Species Barriermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also need data on the growing CWD strain landscape. Currently, immunohistochemistry, enzyme immunoassay, Western blotting, RT-QuIC and PMCA are the methods available for detection of PrP CWD [ 61 ]. Unfortunately, most strain information is obtained from immunohistochemistry and Western blotting and levels of PrP CWD may be too low to detect by these methods unless animals are at a late stage of the disease.…”

Section: Detecting Cwd In Humans; the Role Of Surveillance And Strmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure Risk of Chronic Wasting Disease in Humans

Nemani

Myskiw

Lamoureux

et al. 2020

Viruses

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The majority of human prion diseases are sporadic, but acquired disease can occur, as seen with variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) following consumption of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). With increasing rates of cervid chronic wasting disease (CWD), there is concern that a new form of human prion disease may arise. Currently, there is no evidence of transmission of CWD to humans, suggesting the presence of a strong species barrier; however, in vitro and in vivo studies on the zoonotic potential of CWD have yielded mixed results. The emergence of different CWD strains is also concerning, as different strains can have different abilities to cross species barriers. Given that venison consumption is common in areas where CWD rates are on the rise, increased rates of human exposure are inevitable. If CWD was to infect humans, it is unclear how it would present clinically; in vCJD, it was strain-typing of vCJD prions that proved the causal link to BSE. Therefore, the best way to screen for CWD in humans is to have thorough strain-typing of harvested cervids and human CJD cases so that we will be in a position to detect atypical strains or strain shifts within the human CJD population.

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“…With virtually no barriers to transmission and a lengthy infectious preclinical period, the local prevalence of CWD in North America has been measured to be as high as 50% and 82% in wild and captive populations, respectively (Miller et al, 2004; O’Rourke et al, 2004). Due to constraints on CWD surveillance it is likely that the distribution and prevalence of CWD in wild populations are underestimated (Escobar et al, 2020). It is clear the frequency and occurrence of CWD has increased over time, in part driven by anthropogenic activities related to hunting and wildlife farming (Osterholm et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the demographic history and prion protein variation to infer susceptibility to chronic wasting disease in a naïve population of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Haworth

Nituch

Northrup

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Assessments of the adaptive potential in natural populations are essential for understanding and predicting responses to environmental stressors like climate change and infectious disease. Species face a range of stressors in human-dominated landscapes, often with contrasting effects. White-tailed deer (deer) are expanding in the northern part of their range following decreasing winter severity and increasing forage availability. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease affecting cervids, is likewise expanding and represents a major threat to deer and other cervids. We obtained tissue samples from free-ranging deer across their native range in Ontario, Canada which has yet to detect CWD in wild populations of cervids. We used high-throughput sequencing to assess neutral genomic variation, and variation in the PRNP gene that is partly responsible for the protein misfolding when deer contract CWD. Neutral variation revealed a high number of rare alleles and no population structure, and demographic models suggested a rapid historical population expansion. Allele frequencies of PRNP variants associated with CWD susceptibility and disease progression were evenly distributed across the landscape and consistent with deer populations not infected with CWD. We then estimated the selection coefficient of CWD, with simulations showing an observable and rapid shift in PRNP allele frequencies that coincides with the start of a novel CWD epidemic. Sustained surveillance of genomic and PRNP variation can be a useful tool for CWD-free regions where deer are managed for ecological and economic benefits.

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The ecology of chronic wasting disease in wildlife

Cited by 52 publications

References 169 publications

Deer, wolves, and people: costs, benefits and challenges of living together

Deer, wolves, and people: costs, benefits and challenges of living together

Exposure Risk of Chronic Wasting Disease in Humans

Characterizing the demographic history and prion protein variation to infer susceptibility to chronic wasting disease in a naïve population of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

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