A comprehensive approach to halt chronic wasting disease transmission

我们有一个很小的机会来拯救加拿大一些最著名的动物。鹿科动物（鹿，麋鹿，驼鹿，驯鹿）在其环境的健康和生态平衡中发挥着重要作用。然而，它们的数量受到慢性消耗病（CWD）的威胁，CWD是一种高度传染性的大脑破坏性疾病，在北美和北方的养殖和野生鹿群中传播。受感染的鹿科动物将朊病毒（导致慢性消耗病的感染性蛋白质）释放到地面上，这些朊病毒在10年以上的时间里一直受到污染，并在此期间感染其他动物。杀死或减少牛群在情感上和政治上都不受欢迎，对传播的影响有限。CWD可能感染并杀死加拿大200万只鹿中的许多鹿。这将伤害那些依赖鹿科动物作为食物和文化的人，并破坏生态系统，生物多样性，经济和潜在的人类健康。我们将与我们的政府和行业合作伙伴一起开发一套全面的工具，通过接种疫苗和减少环境朊病毒负载来保护鹿科动物免受慢性消耗病的影响。具体来说，我们将开发一种疫苗，并在鹿身上进行测试;调查接种疫苗是否会影响新朊病毒变体的发展;查明疫苗、遗传抗性和地下较少的朊病毒是否一起有效，以及是否会有更多的鹿因此存活下来;并与利益相关者和土著社区合作，确保这些战略得到最大程度的接受。慢性消耗病不太可能被消除，但可以得到遏制，其影响力降低。我们的方法的实施将限制慢性消耗病的地理传播和受影响的物种，并减少暴发和病例的数量，以便更有效地管理疾病。最终，这将使鹿科动物继续在环境和依靠它们获得食物和收入的人的生活中发挥重要作用。

We have a small-and shrinking-window of opportunity to save some of Canada's best-known animals. Cervids (deer, elk, moose, caribou) play an important role in the health and ecological balance of their environment. However, their numbers are threatened by chronic wasting disease (CWD), a highly contagious, brain-destroying disease spreading across North America and Northern Europe, in both farmed and wild cervid herds. Infected cervids shed prions (the infectious proteins responsible for CWD) onto the ground, which remains contaminated for over 10 years and infects other animals during that time. Killing or reducing herds is emotionally and politically unpopular and has limited effects on transmission. CWD could infect and kill many of Canada's 2 million cervids. This would hurt those who rely on cervids for food and culture, and damage ecosystems, biodiversity, the economy and potentially human health.With our government and industry partners, we will develop a comprehensive set of tools to protect cervids from CWD by vaccination and reducing environmental prion load. Specifically, we will develop a vaccine and test it in deer; investigate whether vaccination affects the development of new prion variants; find out if vaccines, genetic resistance and less prions in the ground are effective together, and if more cervids survive as a result; and work with stakeholders and Indigenous communities to ensure the most acceptance for these strategies.CWD is not likely to be eliminated but it can be contained and its impact reduced. Implementation of our approaches will restrict the geographical spread of CWD and the species affected, and reduce the number of outbreaks and cases so the disease can be managed more effectively. Ultimately, this will allow cervids to continue playing their important role in the environment and in the lives of those who depend on them for food and income.