The chronic wasting disease that affects the brains of deer, also nicknamed “zombie deer disease”, could be linked to the deaths of two American hunters.
- Doctors have identified two cases of hunters who died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which may be linked to eating meat from deer infected with the chronic wasting disease.
- If the link could not be proven, the researchers are requesting additional work to verify the possibility of transmission of the disease from animals to humans.
- Nicknamed zombie deer disease, this prion pathology which affects deer is similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Two American hunters, known for regularly eating deer, died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. For researchers, these fatal neurological disorders could be linked to the consumption of meat infected with “zombie deer disease”a neurological pathology which has been spreading among deer for several months.
If this link is still far from being confirmed, the doctors call in their article published in the journal Neurology for more research on the issue.
Zombie deer disease: transmission among hunters?
Doctors report the case of a 72-year-old man who consulted his doctor in 2022 because he suffered from confusion and had unexplained bouts of aggression. Despite treatment for symptoms which also included seizures, his condition rapidly deteriorated and he died one month after treatment.
Post-mortem diagnosis revealed that he had developed a sporadic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. While looking for the possible origin of his pathology, doctors discovered that one of his hunting friends, also a consumer of deer meat, had recently died from the same neurological pathology.
“The patient’s history, including a similar case in his social group, suggests possible novel animal-to-human transmission of chronic wasting disease”the authors argue.
They therefore believe that if causality is still not proven, “This cluster of cases highlights the need for further investigation into the risks of consuming deer infected with chronic wasting disease and its implications for public health.”
Chronic wasting disease: a fatal neurological pathology
This possible transmission between an infected animal and humans greatly worries scientists. Especially since a significant increase in cases has been observed for several months among deer. As of November 2023, the CDC has recorded cases in free-ranging deer, elk, and moose in at least 31 U.S. states as well as three Canadian provinces. An article published in The Conversation last January, reported that more than 800 sick animals were spotted in Wyoming. There have also been cases in Norway, Finland and Sweden and even South Korea.
“Reports suggest that between 7,000 and 15,000 animals infected with chronic wasting disease were consumed annually by humans in 2017, with projections indicating an annual increase of 20%,” is it written in The Conversation.
Chronic wasting disease which affects deer, causes animals to experience drastic weight loss, tremors, stumbling, lack of coordination, apathy and excessive saliva production. Neurological pathology has a fatal outcome in 100% of cases.
