Chronic Wasting Disease in Cervids: Implications for Prion Transmission to Humans and Other Animal Species

Michael T Osterholm; Cory J Anderson; Mark D Zabel; Joni M Scheftel; Kristine A Moore; Brian S Appleby

doi:10.1128/mBio.01091-19

Chronic Wasting Disease in Cervids: Implications for Prion Transmission to Humans and Other Animal Species

mBio. 2019 Jul 23;10(4):e01091-19. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01091-19.

Authors

Michael T Osterholm¹, Cory J Anderson², Mark D Zabel³, Joni M Scheftel⁴, Kristine A Moore², Brian S Appleby⁵

Affiliations

¹ Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA mto@umn.edu.
² Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
³ Prion Research Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
⁴ Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
⁵ National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Abstract

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion-related transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids, including deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer, and moose. CWD has been confirmed in at least 26 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, South Korea, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, with a notable increase in the past 5 years. The continued geographic spread of this disease increases the frequency of exposure to CWD prions among cervids, humans, and other animal species. Since CWD is now an established wildlife disease in North America, proactive steps, where possible, should be taken to limit transmission of CWD among animals and reduce the potential for human exposure.

Keywords: chronic wasting disease; infectious disease; prion disease; prions; public health.

MeSH terms

Animals
Deer*
Humans
Incidence
North America
Prions / pathogenicity*
Public Health*
Wasting Disease, Chronic / diagnosis*
Wasting Disease, Chronic / prevention & control
Wasting Disease, Chronic / transmission*

Substances

Prions