Mary Wilson
Well-known member
Nov 15 2021
Paul A. Smith
As evidence mounts that white-tailed deer are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, researchers and health officials are scrambling to study the disease in the wild population and offer guidance to hunters.
To date there is no proof the virus sickens deer or can be transmitted from deer to humans.
But scientists say much is yet to be learned and worry about the potential for the nation's 30 million deer to act as a reservoir for an evolving virus and a source for human infection.
"It's very concerning to me," said Linda Saif, a virologist at the Ohio State University, in an interview with National Public Radio. "The question is, can it spill back from deer to humans? We don't know that yet. But if that's possible or if they could transmit it effectively to grazing livestock, then, obviously, this is a concern."
... At this time, APHIS is reaching out to state fish and game agencies in multiple states to see if they are interested in participating in the effort.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is planning to be part of the project, said Tami Ryan, DNR wildlife health supervisor, but no deer have yet been tested in the Badger State for SARS-CoV-2.
... Officials with the USDA's Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) are leading work to test more deer for the disease in more states, including Wisconsin.
... Building upon findings that white-tailed deer can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 and transmit the virus to other deer, APHIS and its state partners will begin a phased, multi-year approach this winter to understand the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 in WTD to human and animal health, said Gail Keirn, public affairs officer with USDA's National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, in a Nov. 12 email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The work hopes to determine how widespread the virus is in U.S. whitetail populations and whether the animals can serve as a reservoir for the virus, potentially leading to new virus variants that may impact the health of deer, other animals and humans, Keirn said.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/spor...d-white-tailed-deer-iowa-and-ohio/8606456002/
Paul A. Smith
As evidence mounts that white-tailed deer are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, researchers and health officials are scrambling to study the disease in the wild population and offer guidance to hunters.
To date there is no proof the virus sickens deer or can be transmitted from deer to humans.
But scientists say much is yet to be learned and worry about the potential for the nation's 30 million deer to act as a reservoir for an evolving virus and a source for human infection.
"It's very concerning to me," said Linda Saif, a virologist at the Ohio State University, in an interview with National Public Radio. "The question is, can it spill back from deer to humans? We don't know that yet. But if that's possible or if they could transmit it effectively to grazing livestock, then, obviously, this is a concern."
... At this time, APHIS is reaching out to state fish and game agencies in multiple states to see if they are interested in participating in the effort.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is planning to be part of the project, said Tami Ryan, DNR wildlife health supervisor, but no deer have yet been tested in the Badger State for SARS-CoV-2.
... Officials with the USDA's Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) are leading work to test more deer for the disease in more states, including Wisconsin.
... Building upon findings that white-tailed deer can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 and transmit the virus to other deer, APHIS and its state partners will begin a phased, multi-year approach this winter to understand the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 in WTD to human and animal health, said Gail Keirn, public affairs officer with USDA's National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, in a Nov. 12 email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The work hopes to determine how widespread the virus is in U.S. whitetail populations and whether the animals can serve as a reservoir for the virus, potentially leading to new virus variants that may impact the health of deer, other animals and humans, Keirn said.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/spor...d-white-tailed-deer-iowa-and-ohio/8606456002/
