A warning for hunters as 'zombie deer disease' spreads to another state: Maps
Zombie deer disease, also known as chronic wasting disease (CWD), continues to spread across the U.S., threatening at-risk white-tailed deer – and potentially the hunters who kill and eat them.
Indiana is the 33rd and latest state to report its first case of the disease. That was on April 5, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources says.
Other states have reported increases in cases, according to the National Wildlife Health Center of the U.S. Geological Survey.
As the disease becomes more widespread, a new study from the University of Texas that examined the deaths of two hunters suggests, but does not prove, that it may be possible for zombie deer disease to be transmitted from animals to humans. More research is needed, the study says.
Which states have the highest reports of zombie disease?
Since being found in Colorado in the 1960s, the disease has been documented in 33 states and several foreign countries, according to the National Wildlife Health Center. Infection rates may surpass 10% in a number of areas where the illness is widespread.
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Wildlife officials have warned hunters to avoid eating untested game. Research on mice led Canadian scientists to publish a study in 2022 that raised the possibility that humans could contract chronic wasting disease.
The condition is called zombie deer disease because stricken animals exhibit drastic weight loss, lethargy, stumbling, listlessness, excessive drooling and other neurologic symptoms, according to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention.
The illness strikes animals in the deer family, which includes:
- Deer
- Elk
- Moose
- Reindeer
Other animal species are also affected. The disease targets their brains, neurological systems, and other tissues. It's a fatal disease and is comparable to the mad cow disease of the 1980s.
What are the visual signs of chronic wasting disease?
It can take years for an infected animal to show signs. But eventually, the brain degenerates and sick animals start to drool, stumble and become malnourished and listless.
Animals with the disease may experience a range of behavioral and physical changes as the disease worsens. These could include:
The disease has an extended time between infection and the beginning of visible symptoms, which is typically 18 to 24 months. During this time, animals appear and behave normally.
What causes chronic wasting disease in deer?
Infectious agents known as prions cause chronic wasting disease. Prions are DNA-free, abnormally folded proteins found in the brain in both humans and animals. They multiply by causing other proteins that are typically folded to reorganize into a misfolded form.
The deformed proteins harm brain tissue over time, causing neurological clinical symptoms and impairments.
According to the National Science Foundation, the cells gather and eventually burst, leaving behind microscopic empty spaces in the brain matter that give it a spongy appearance.
Spread of chronic wasting disease in the US
What should you do if you see a sick deer?
Inform your state wildlife agency right away if you observe a sick deer. If the disease is found in a new region, it can be stopped from spreading if it is found in time.
Is chronic wasting disease possible in humans?
The recent Texas study examined two hunters who died in 2022 after a history of consuming meat from a deer population infected with chronic wasting disease. They developed sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a neurological disease like chronic wasting disease.
Though results did not prove transmission of CWD to humans, more study is needed because “vigilance for such cases is crucial for public health,” researchers said.
The report, by medical experts from the University of Texas at San Antonio, was published in the Clinical journal Neurology on April 9. It did not disclose where the two men lived or hunted.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which appears as rapidly presenting dementia, is often called the human form of mad cow disease. The disease is rare but fatal.
The National Health Service in the U.K. lists possible symptoms including loss of intellect and memory, changes in personality, loss of balance and coordination, slurred speech, vision problems and blindness, abnormal jerking movements, and progressive loss of brain function and mobility.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is usually fatal within a year of symptoms appearing.
CONTRIBUTING Mike Snider/USA TODAY and Iris Seaton/Asheville Citizen Times