A prion disease spreading through Mississippi whitetail deer populations has changed how herds are managed and may reduce the economic benefit of hunting in the state.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in whitetail deer populations in 26 states as of August 2021. It is easily transmissible to deer through saliva, feces, urine or a contaminated environment, and it is 100% fatal to infected deer. If left unmanaged, CWD devastates the deer population.
A prion is a type of protein that can trigger normal proteins in the brain to fold abnormally. Prion diseases can affect both humans and animals and are sometimes spread to humans by infected meat. The most common form of prion disease that affects humans is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. CWD has never been known to transmit to humans.
Dr. Jim Jackson, a veterinarian in Corinth, Mississippi, hunts in Tippah County and across the state line in nearby Hardeman County, Tennessee. Jackson tests every deer he harvests, and he encountered his first CWD-positive deer in Tennessee in 2020 and in Mississippi in 2021.
Tags: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, White Deer, White Tailed Deer
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