Why is this research important for Alberta ag?
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting members of the deer family, found in 26 US states, 3 Canadian provinces, Northern Europe, and Korea. It is a highly contagious condition caused by prions, which are protein clumps or aggregates that destroy the brains of infected animals, a process that is ultimately fatal. Infectious prions are excreted by infected animals in feces, saliva and urine, which, along with decomposing carcasses, results in environmental contamination with infectious prions for years if not decades.
CWD in Alberta is expanding geographically and the prevalence is approaching exponential growth rates. This affects not only wild cervid populations, but also agriculture and associated economies. These impacts are related to the cervid farming industry as well as export of agricultural products such as hey, as some countries have banned hay imports from CWD endemic areas.
Previous research suggests that non-cervid species such as cats, voles, ferrets and mice are susceptible to infection with CWD. This raises concerns that animals sharing habitats with CWD-infected cervids can be infected with CWD. This can have serious consequences — first, such non-cervid hosts might act as a vector and further disseminate infectious CWD prions, and second, they can serve as an intermediate host, accumulating prions that might be able to cross the species barrier for transmission to livestock or even humans.
This research addresses the question whether CWD has the ability to spill over to pronghorn antelopes, wild boars or beavers. Researchers will further determine the host range of CWD prions generated in mice modelling those sympatric species, including transmissibility to economically important species such as cattle and pigs as well as humans.
What benefits can producers expect from this research?
Outcomes will be relevant for assessing the risk CWD poses to agriculture, the crop industry, and public health.
How will these research findings reach producers on-farm?
Findings will be presented at industry meetings and shared with cervid groups, Parks Canada, and other stakeholders.