A new study published in the journal Neurology highlights two cases of hunters who regularly ate chronic wasting disease (CWD) infected whitetail deer contracted Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a degenerative brain disorder that leads to dementia and death. “Clusters of sporadic CJD cases may occur in regions with CWD-confirmed deer populations, hinting at potential cross-species prion transmission,” the study authors concluded.
Prions cause prion diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies that are transmissible, fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals, including CJD. It is already thought that humans can contract a form of the disease by eating food from animals infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease.
CWD, a prion disease prevalent in North American deer, elk and moose, has raised concerns due to its possible link to CJD, although no conclusive evidence of cross-species prion transmission yet exists. Based on non-human primate and mouse models however, cross-species transmission of CJD is plausible.
The study looked at the 2022 case of a 72-year-old man with a history of consuming meat from a CWD-infected deer who was experiencing rapid-onset confusion and aggression. His friend, who had also eaten venison from the same deer population, recently died of CJD, raising concerns about a potential link between CWD and human prion disease.
Despite aggressive symptomatic treatment of seizures and agitation, the patient’s condition deteriorated and he died within a month of seeking medical help. The diagnosis was confirmed postmortem.
“Although causation remains unproven,” the study authors said “this cluster emphasizes the need for further investigation into the potential risks of consuming CWD-infected deer and its implications for public health.”
CWD is contagious and has spread widely in North America, especially in deer and elk, over the last two decades. The highest concentration of CWD-infected deer can be found in Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Wyoming, according to CDC and U.S. Geological Survey reports.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation asserts that CWD has been eradicated from New York after it was discovered in captive and wild deer in Oneida County in 2005. Reintroduction from other affected states remains a constant threat, however, because hunters could bring CWD prions into New York without realizing it.
Bringing hunter-killed deer, elk, moose, or caribou carcasses into New York is illegal and increases the risk of spreading CWD. Using deer urine-based lures may introduce CWD into New York because prions are found in deer tissues, feces, saliva, and urine.
Feeding deer and moose is illegal and increases the risk that CWD and other harmful diseases will spread.
Although DEC claims “there is currently no evidence that CWD can infect humans,” it also points out that the Centers for Disease Control recommends no one knowingly consume an infected animal.
You can read the full study here. Learn more about CWD in New York State and how to avoid its spread here.
Photo of whitetail deer courtesy DEC.
