Modeling the implications of prion persistence in the environment on disease dynamics and deer populations.

Funding Sources: USGS Wildlife: Terrestrial and Endangered Resources Program.

Collaborators: Emily Almberg

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal disease of deer and elk caused by an infectious prion protein. CWD is known to be transmitted through direct and indirect contact and prions can remain infectious in the environment for at least a couple of years. Considerable attention has been paid to modeling direct transmission; however, we use simulation models to demonstrate how indirect transmission and prion survival may affect the long-term dynamics of CWD in North American deer populations.

Citation:
Almberg, ES, PC Cross, D Heisey, CJ Johnson & BJ Richards. 2011. Modeling Routes of Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission: Environmental Prion Persistence Promotes Deer Population Decline and Extinction. PLoS ONE 6(5): e19896. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019896.

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