Is there a breach in the barrier protecting humans from cervid chronic wasting disease?

Abstract

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion-derived disease causing lethal spongiform encephalopathy in cervids like deer, elk, moose, and reindeer (1). It is similar to other zoonotic spongiform encephalopathies that are deadly to humans such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, and holds potential for lethal spillover into human populations (2). Concern regarding potential spillover into humans is increasing as CWD is rapidly spreading across wild cervid populations in North America, cervids that are consumed by millions of hunters (3). In a recent mBio Opinion/ Hypothesis piece, Osterholm et al. (2) reviewed the state of the science of CWD and offered precautionary guidelines for its management to reduce risks of spillover. The precautionary guidelines proposed are warranted. However, the article relied on unpublished data to conclude that CWD may transmit to human-like primates. This conclusion could have massive ramifications for human health, hunter behavior, wildlife management, and local economies over large regions of North America (3, 4), as it suggests greater potential for CWD to breach the cervid-human barrier. Yet, there is no published evidence for CWD transmission to human-like primates at this time.

Citation

Pearson, Dean E. 2020. Is there a breach in the barrier protecting humans from cervid chronic wasting disease? mBio. 11: e01971-20.