The gathering of deer during winter may foster the spread of chronic wasting disease.
Abstract
Epidemics of contagious prion1 diseases can be perpetuated by horizontal (animal to animal) and maternal (dam to offspring, before or after birth) transmission2,3,4,5,6,7, but the relative importance of each mechanism is unclear. Here we compare the incidence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in captive mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) that is attributable to horizontal or maternal transmission. We find that horizontal transmission is remarkably efficient, producing a high incidence of disease (89%) in a cohort of deer in which maternal transmission was improbable. Our results indicate that horizontal transmission is likely to be important in sustaining CWD epidemics.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Prusiner, S. B. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 95, 13363–13383 (1998).
McFadyean, J. J. Comp. Pathol. Ther. 31, 102–131 (1918).
Hourrigan, J., Klingsporn, A., Clark, W. W. & de Camp, M. in Slow Transmissible Diseases of the Nervous System: Vol. 1 (eds Prusiner, S. B. & Hadlow, W. J.) 331–356 (Academic, New York, 1979).
Williams, E. S. & Young, S. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz. 11, 551–567 (1992).
Hoinville, L. J. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz. 15, 827–852 (1996).
Woolhouse, M. E. J., Stringer, S. M., Matthews, L., Hunter, N. & Anderson, R. M. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 265, 1205–1210 (1998).
Miller, M. W. et al. J. Wildl. Dis. 36, 676–690 (2000).
Williams, E. S. & Miller, M. W. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz. 21, 305–316 (2002).
Redman, C. A. et al. Epidemiol. Infect. 128, 513–521 (2002).
Sigurdson, C. J. et al. J. Gen. Virol. 80, 2757–2764 (1999).
Spraker, T. R. et al. Vet. Pathol. 39, 110–119 (2002).
Hadlow, W. J., Kennedy, R. C. & Race, R. E. J. Infect. Dis. 146, 657–664 (1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Miller, M., Williams, E. Horizontal prion transmission in mule deer. Nature 425, 35–36 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/425035a
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/425035a
This article is cited by
-
Nasal bots carry relevant titers of CWD prions in naturally infected white-tailed deer
EMBO Reports (2024)
-
Heterogeneity of pathological prion protein accumulation in the brain of moose (Alces alces) from Norway, Sweden and Finland with chronic wasting disease
Veterinary Research (2023)
-
Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy and chronic wasting disease: two sides of the prion coin
Animal Diseases (2023)
-
PMCA screening of retropharyngeal lymph nodes in white-tailed deer and comparisons with ELISA and IHC
Scientific Reports (2023)
-
Large animal models for chronic wasting disease
Cell and Tissue Research (2023)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.