Acute arsenic toxication of a free-ranging white-tailed deer in New York

An adult, female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) died due to acute arsenic intoxication in an intensively managed northern hardwood forest in northern New York. We hypothesize that the deer licked trees injected with Silvisar 550, which contains monosodium methanearsonate. We believe this is the first report of death of a free-ranging white-tailed deer, due to ingestion of monosodium methanearsonate.     

Prevalence of Parelaphostrongylus tenuis in white-tailed deer in northern New York.

The prevalence and distribution of "brainworm" (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) were examined in northern New York (USA) from 1986 to 1989. Sixty nine (46%) of 151 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) heads examined, contained adult P. tenuis. The proportion of infected individuals was not significantly different between males and females. Prevalence was significantly greater in the adult age class as compared to the juvenile age class (P less than 0.01). Deer pellet samples were examined for prevalence of P. tenuis-like larvae. Pellet samples in New York had an overall prevalence of 60%. The effects of precipitation and host density on prevalence of P. tenuis in deer was not significant.     

First observation of Elaeophora schneideri Wehr and Dikmans, 1935 (Nematoda:Filariidae) in mule deer from Nebraska

Between November 2000 and November 2005, approximately 200 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from western Nebraska were extensively examined for the presence of Elaeophora schneideri, Wehr and Dikmans, 1935; three adult E. schneideri were detected from three mule deer. This represents the first documented occurrence of E. schneideri from wild deer in Nebraska.     

Microgeographic distribution of immature Ixodes dammini ticks correlated with that of deer

In order to determine whether the small-scale distribution of immature Ixodes dammini Spielman et al. corresponds closely to the activity patterns of white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman), these relationships were examined in a site on Long Island, New York, U.S.A. We first determined the extent and temporal pattern of adult ticks feeding on deer by examining twenty-three resident deer tranquilized during September-December 1985. I. dammini adults infested deer throughout this fall period, most abundantly during October and November. With radio-telemetry collars attached to deer we determined the relative frequency that they occupied 0.25 ha quadrats of the study site. During the following summer, we examined white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque), that inhabited these quadrats and removed immature ticks from each. 8975 larval and 163 nymphal I. dammini were removed from 208 mice trapped in forty-three such quadrats. The frequency of deer using these quadrats was positively correlated with both the number of larval and of nymphal ticks per mouse. These results suggest that risk of I. damminiborne zoonotic disease may be decreased by locally reducing deer density in sites that experience intense human activity.     

Cryptosporidium parvum infection involving novel genotypes in wildlife from lower New York State

Cryptosporidium, an enteric parasite of humans and a wide range of other mammals, presents numerous challenges to the supply of safe drinking water. We performed a wildlife survey, focusing on white-tailed deer and small mammals, to assess whether they may serve as environmental sources of Cryptosporidium. A PCR-based approach that permitted genetic characterization via sequence analysis was applied to wildlife fecal samples (n = 111) collected from September 1996 to July 1998 from three areas in lower New York State. Southern analysis revealed 22 fecal samples containing Cryptosporidium small-subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA; these included 10 of 91 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) samples, 3 of 5 chipmunk (Tamias striatus) samples, 1 of 2 white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) samples, 1 of 2 striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) samples, 1 of 5 racoon (Procyon lotor) samples, and 6 of 6 muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) samples. All of the 15 SSU PCR products sequenced were characterized as Cryptosporidium parvum; two were identical to genotype 2 (bovine), whereas the remainder belonged to two novel SSU sequence groups, designated genotypes 3 and 4. Genotype 3 comprised four deer-derived sequences, whereas genotype 4 included nine sequences from deer, mouse, chipmunk, and muskrat samples. PCR analysis was performed on the SSU-positive fecal samples for three other Cryptosporidium loci (dihydrofolate reductase, polythreonine-rich protein, and beta-tubulin), and 8 of 10 cloned PCR products were consistent with C. parvum genotype 2. These data provide evidence that there is sylvatic transmission of C. parvum involving deer and other small mammals. This study affirmed the importance of wildlife as potential sources of Cryptosporidium in the catchments of public water supplies.     

Antibodies to vesicular stomatitis New Jersey type virus in white-tailed deer on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, 1985 to 1989.

From 1985 to 1989, 491 serum samples were collected from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Ossabaw Island, Georgia (USA) and were tested for neutralizing antibodies to New Jersey and Indiana type vesicular stomatitis viruses. Prevalence of antibodies to vesicular stomatitis New Jersey (VSNJ) virus in deer for the 5-yr period was 43%. Prevalence of antibodies differed by year (P less than 0.0001), and was dependent on age class (P less than 0.0001) and location on the island (P less than 0.0001). Of 173 deer sampled from other locations in the southeastern United States, only two had VSNJ antibody titers normally considered positive (greater than or equal to 1: 32). The positive deer were from Union County, Arkansas (USA) and Wakulla County, Florida (USA). No evidence of exposure to vesicular stomatitis Indiana Virus was observed.     

Spontaneous dermatophilosis in twin white-tailed deer fawns.

Twin white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns captured in Morris County, New Jersey, displayed papular, darkly pigmented scabs principally on the skin overlying the nasal bones, dentary, commissure of the lips and ears. Histopathological and bacterial examinations revealed Dermatophilus congolensis. The epidermitis caused by this bacterium apparently had developed within the first 12 to 14 days after birth and had begun to regress by one month of age. The location of the lesions suggested transmission during nursing from an infected doe. This is believed to be the first confirmed report of this zoonotic disease in white-tailed deer, with isolation of the etiologic agent, outside the State of New York. Epizootiological considerations are discussed.     

Spirochetes in ticks and antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in white-tailed deer from Connecticut, New York State, and North Carolina

Ticks were screened for spirochetes and serum samples from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were assayed for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi during 1983-1984. Using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled rabbit antibodies produced to B. burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, spirochetes were detected in Ixodes dammini (10.5% of 1,193) and Dermacentor albipictus (0.6% of 157) adults from Connecticut, I. dammini nymphs (49.1% of 108) and adults (64.7% of 99) from Armonk, New York, and in I. scapularis (0.4% of 531) and Amblyomma americanum (3.5% of 173) adults from North Carolina. Infected ticks were either seeking hosts or feeding on deer during the summer and fall. Direct fluorescent antibody staining also revealed spirochetes in two larvae of I. scapularis that emerged from eggs deposited by separate females in the laboratory. Using indirect immunofluorescence tests, antibodies to B. burgdorferi were identified in white-tailed deer living in tick-infested areas of all three states. Aside from minor cross-reactivity, there was no serologic evidence of Treponema or Leptospira infections. Ixodes dammini is a primary vector of B. burgdorferi in northeastern United States, but in North Carolina, other ixodid ticks may transmit this spirochete to humans and wildlife.     

A search for Parelaphostrongylus andersoni in white-tailed deer from Maine.

Longissimus dorsi muscles from 42 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Maine (USA) were examined for the Parelaphostrongylus andersoni. No adult nematodes were found. Prevalence based on the Poisson approximation of a binomial distribution could have been between 0 and 9% (95% C.I.). However, based on prevalence documented elsewhere (10 to 18%), it is unlikely that P. andersoni occurs in white-tailed deer in central Maine.     

Prevalence of the Lyme disease spirochete in populations of white-tailed deer and white-footed mice

The prevalence of the Ixodes dammini spirochete (IDS) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) was studied on the eastern end of Long Island, New York. Both species commonly occur in a variety of habitats, are preferred hosts of Ixodes dammini, and can harbor the spirochetes in the blood. Each animal was examined for spirochetemia, tick infestation, and IDS infection rates in the ticks that were removed from it. The results obtained suggest that in winter deer can be infected by questing adult I. dammini. Adult ticks apparently are infected through transtadial transmission of spirochetes from subadult ticks which had fed earlier in their life history on infected animals. Deer are important hosts of adult ticks and the IDS in winter and probably are a reservoir host in other seasons. The patterns of spirochete prevalence suggest that deer and mice are reservoirs of the organism and thus are fundamental to the ecology of Lyme disease on Long Island.     

Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni (Diptera: Psychodidae) in relation to vesicular stomatitis virus on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A.

Abstract. Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni Dyar, a suspected biological vector of the New Jersey serotype of vesicular stomatitis (VSNJ) virus, were determined using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of 333 blood-fed female sandflies collected from their diurnal resting shelters on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A. Sandflies had fed primarily on white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) (81%) and to a lesser extent on feral swine ( Sus scrofa ) (16%), two species of host infected annually with VSNJ. Other hosts were raccoons ( Procyon lotor ) and horses ( Equus caballus ) or donkeys ( E. asinus ), with only two (<1%) mixed bloodmeals from deer/raccoon and deer/swine. A larger proportion of feedings on feral swine was detected in maritime live oak forests than in mixed hardwood forests. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that L. shannoni is a primary vector of VSNJ virus on Ossabaw Island.     

Influence of season and body condition on plasma volume levels of white‐tailed deer,Odocoileus virginianus

Abstract

Changes in the circulating plasma volume were monitored for twelve consecutive months in five white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) maintained outdoors in a 2.4‐ha enclosure in northern New York stale. The mean annual relative plasma volume of the two male white‐tailed deer (43.6 ± 1.0 ml/kg) was not significantly different from that of three females (45.7 ± 0.7 ml/kg). Mean annual absolute plasma volume, however, was significantly higher in males (2588 ± 90.7 ml) than in females (2092 ± 79.1 ml), mainly because of the greater body weights of males in late summer and early fall. Both sexes had a marked seasonality in the level of relative and absolute plasma volume regulation. Relative plasma volumes were lowest in February‐March and highest in May‐June and again in October, while absolute plasma volumes were lowest in late winter to early spring, when body weights in the annual cycle were lowest, and volumes were highest in mid‐fall, at the annual peak of body condition. Males had a greater excursion about their annual mean relative plasma volumes (‐16 to 13%) and absolute plasma volumes (‐23 to 32%) than did females (respectively, ‐11 to 9% and ‐13 to 19%). Variations in the level of plasma volume regulated are related to the annual cycle of environmental conditions and changes in body and physiological condition of white‐tailed deer.     

Hemorrhagic disease in deer in Arizona

Two mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and one white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Arizona (USA) were submitted for necropsy. Gross and microscopic lesions compatible with hemorrhagic disease (HD) were observed in all three deer. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (EHDV-2) was isolated from two of the deer. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of HD in deer in Arizona. Two of the mortalities were attributed to EHDV-2 infection.     

Experimental infection of white-tailed deer with rangiferine brucellosis

Experimental infections of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with Brucella suis biovar 4 were evaluated over a period of 6 wk. Five adult male hand-raised white-tailed deer were inoculated with 1 x 10(7) colony forming units of B. suis biovar 4 in the conjunctiva and serologically evaluated over 6 wk by the card test (CARD), rivanol test (RIV), serum agglutination test (SAT), complement fixation test (CFT), particle concentration fluorescence immunoassay (PCFIA), and competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA), as routinely used for bovine samples. Six weeks postinoculation the animals were euthanized and cultured for B. suis biovar 4. One deer became serologically positive 4 wk postinoculation on CFT, CARD, PCFIA, and cELISA. At 6 wk postinoculation, CFT was positive in four infected deer, CARD was positive in three deer; RIV, SAT, and PCFIA was positive in two deer; and cELISA was positive in one deer. Only the CFT was 100% sensitive. At necropsy B. suis biovar 4 was isolated from four of five deer, and representative colonies were biologically similar to the challenge organism.     

Ophryoscolecid Fauna from the Stomach of the White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis), and Observations on the Division of Entodinium dubardi Buisson 1923 (Ciliata Entodiniomorpha).

The morphology and division of Entodinium dubardi dubardi Buisson 1923, found by the present writer in the rumen of a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis) from the state of New York, are described. E. longi-nucleatum was found for the first time in this host. A transitional form of E. d. dubardi leading to E. d. cervi Sladecek 1946, was seen. Rotund or orbicular-like individuals occurring in the material are the postdivisional stages of E. d. dubardi. Comparative study of preparations from the mule-deer Odocoileus hemionis hemionis, O. hemionus Macrotis , and another white-tailed deer gave the same results as in the study of the principal host. Very close resemblance of the post-divisional stages of E. d. dubardi with E. bovis Wertheim and E. orbicularis Bush & Kofoid is noted. New data have been established to regard E. simplex Dogiel as a synonym of E. d. dubardi .     

Climate, deer, rodents, and acorns as determinants of variation in lyme-disease risk

Risk of human exposure to vector-borne zoonotic pathogens is a function of the abundance and infection prevalence of vectors. We assessed the determinants of Lyme-disease risk (density and Borrelia burgdorferi-infection prevalence of nymphal Ixodes scapularis ticks) over 13 y on several field plots within eastern deciduous forests in the epicenter of US Lyme disease (Dutchess County, New York). We used a model comparison approach to simultaneously test the importance of ambient growing-season temperature, precipitation, two indices of deer (Odocoileus virginianus) abundance, and densities of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus), and acorns ( Quercus spp.), in both simple and multiple regression models, in predicting entomological risk. Indices of deer abundance had no predictive power, and precipitation in the current year and temperature in the prior year had only weak effects on entomological risk. The strongest predictors of a current year's risk were the prior year's abundance of mice and chipmunks and abundance of acorns 2 y previously. In no case did inclusion of deer or climate variables improve the predictive power of models based on rodents, acorns, or both. We conclude that interannual variation in entomological risk of exposure to Lyme disease is correlated positively with prior abundance of key hosts for the immature stages of the tick vector and with critical food resources for those hosts.     

Windows of opportunity: white-tailed deer and the dynamics of northern hardwood forests of the northeastern US

Herbivory, lighting regimes, and site conditions are among the most important determinants of forest regeneration success, but these are affected by a host of other factors such as weather, predation, human exploitation, pathogens, wind and fire. We draw together >50 years of research on the Huntington Wildlife Forest in the central Adirondack Mountains of New York to explore regeneration of northern hardwoods. A series of studies each of which focused on a single factor failed to identify the cause of regeneration failure. However, integration of these studies led to broader understanding of the process of forest stand development and identified at least three interacting factors: lighting regime, competing vegetation and selective browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The diverse 100–200 year-old hardwood stands present today probably reflect regeneration during periods of low deer density (<2.0 deer/km²) and significant forest disturbance. If this hypothesis is correct, forest managers can mimic these “natural windows of opportunity” through manipulation of a few sensitive variables in the system. Further, these manipulations can be conducted on a relatively small geographic scale. Control of deer densities on a scale of 500 ha and understory American beech (Fagus grandifolia) on a scale of <100 ha in conjunction with an even-aged regeneration system consistently resulted in successful establishment of desirable hardwood regeneration.     

Congenital hypotrichosis in a white-tailed deer fawn from South Dakota

On 1 October 2001, a 4-mo-old male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn was collected in Day County, South Dakota (USA), by South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks personnel. The fawn had sparse hair development on the ventral thorax, the lateral caudal and caudal aspects of the rear legs, the muzzle, around the eyes, and inside the ears. Remaining skin surfaces were devoid of hair. Histologic examination revealed normal hair follicle density although follicles were empty or contained keratin debris and fragments of hair shaft. The epidermis of the fawn was mildly thickened and melanin pigment was prominent within deep layers of the epidermis. Based on histologic examination, the deer was diagnosed with congenital hypotrichosis. Although this condition has been reported in domestic species and humans, this specimen represents the first documented case of congenital hypotrichosis in a cervid.     

Failure to detect infection in fallow deer (Cervus dama) exposed to Theileria cervi from white-tailed deer

A frozen stabilate was produced from Theileria cervi sporozoites in salivary glands of adult Amblyomma americanum. The stabilate was inoculated into three fallow deer (Cervus dama) and two white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Following inoculation, the white-tailed deer developed parasitemias as determined by blood smear examination at 11 and 13 days postexposure. Repeat examination of blood from the three fallow deer for 30 days postexposure failed to reveal observable piro-plasms. These findings indicate that fallow deer are not as susceptible to the Theileria cervi found in white-tailed deer from North America. Thus, there are some questions regarding the taxonomic position of this organism.     

Parasites and condition of coexisting populations of white-tailed and exotic deer in south-central Texas.

We examined the parasites and physical condition of coexisting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), axis deer (Axis axis), fallow deer (Dama dama), and sika deer (Cervus nippon) on the YO Ranch (Kerr County, Texas, USA) during December 1982 to January 1984. White-tailed deer harbored 12 species of parasites. Exotic deer were infected with nine species of parasites. All parasites recovered from exotic deer and white-tailed deer have been reported from white-tailed deer. Exotic deer had higher condition ratings than white-tailed deer.