Northern Plains hit hard by deer killing epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD)

[Pathfinder]

Northern Plains Hit Hard by Deer-Killing Disease

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. January 8, 2012 (AP)

White-tailed deer populations in parts of eastern Montana and elsewhere in the Northern Plains could take years to recover from a devastating disease that killed thousands of the animals in recent months, wildlife officials and hunting outfitters said.

In northeast Montana, officials said 90 percent or more of whitetail have been killed along a 100-mile stretch of the Milk River from Malta to east of Glasgow. Whitetail deaths also have been reported along the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in western North Dakota and eastern Montana and scattered sites in Wyoming, South Dakota and eastern Kansas.

The deaths are being attributed to an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD. Transmitted by biting midges, EHD causes internal bleeding that can kill infected animals within just a few days.

More...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/northern-plains-hit-hard-deer-killing-disease-15316643

 

[jflorida]

Re: Northern Plains hit hard by deer killing epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD)

From the same story:

Whitetail in northern states are more likely to die because they lack the antibodies from previous exposures needed to help fight off the disease, said Stallknecht, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.