It is spreading west.
Cases of the fatal ‘zombie deer disease’ have been confirmed in 32 states across the US.
It has also been identified in five Canadian provinces – Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
Known as chronic wasting disease (CWD), it has now been found in herds from the East Coast, South and Mid-west regions.
As cases spread across the states, experts are also concerned the 100% fatal illness could jump to humans.
CWD has been detected in deer, elk, moose, reindeer and caribou. It causes the animals to drool, appear lethargic and emaciated and also seem to have a blank stare – which gave the disease the nickname of ‘zombie’.
The animals also quickly lose weight, have slow coordination and become aggressive, as the disease attacks the brain, spinal cord and other tissues.
The disease was first discovered in captive deer in the late 1960s, and then in wild deer in 1981.
In December, officials confirmed it had reached the famous Yellowstone National Park.
The disease is highly contagious, spreading between deer and other cervids, like elk and moose, through contact with body fluids such as saliva, blood or urine, or via contaminated soil, food or water.
The disease operates through the spread of prions, misfolded proteins that cause normal proteins to fold as well, leading to neurological degeneration.
Prion diseases are known to cross species barriers, as seen in the mad cow disease outbreak the UK in the mid-1990s.
However, there have been no human cases of the ‘zombie deer disease’ and there is no evidence so far that humans can contract it by eating infected meat, although studies show CWD does pose a risk to other primates such as monkeys.
