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Molecular genealogy tools for white-tailed deer with chronic wasting disease.

ABSTRACT: Molecular genetic data provide powerful tools for genealogy reconstruction to reveal mechanisms underlying disease ecology. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) congregate in matriarchal groups; kin-related close social spacing may be a factor in the spread of infectious diseases. Spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disorder of deer and their cervid relatives, is presumed to be associated with direct contact between individuals and by exposure to shared food and water sources contaminated with prions shed by infected deer. Key aspects of disease ecology are yet unknown. DNA tools for pedigree reconstruction were developed to fill knowledge gaps in disease dynamics in prion-infected wild animals. Kinship indices using data from microsatellite loci and sequence haplotypes of mitochondrial DNA were employed to assemble genealogies. Molecular genealogy tools will be useful for landscape-level population genetic research and monitoring, in addition to epidemiologic studies examining transmission of CWD in captive and free-ranging cervids.

SUBMITTER: Ernest HB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2851727 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Molecular genealogy tools for white-tailed deer with chronic wasting disease.

Ernest Holly B HB Hoar Bruce R BR Well Jay A JA O'Rourke Katherine I KI

Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire 20100401 2

Molecular genetic data provide powerful tools for genealogy reconstruction to reveal mechanisms underlying disease ecology. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) congregate in matriarchal groups; kin-related close social spacing may be a factor in the spread of infectious diseases. Spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disorder of deer and their cervid relatives, is presumed to be associated with direct contact between individuals and by exposure to shared food and water sources ...[more]

PMID: 20592847

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Project description:Despite implementation of enhanced management practices, chronic wasting disease in US white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) continues to expand geographically. Herein, we perform the largest genome-wide association analysis to date for chronic wasting disease (n = 412 chronic wasting disease-positive; n = 758 chronic wasting disease-nondetect) using a custom Affymetrix Axiom single-nucleotide polymorphism array (n = 121,010 single-nucleotide polymorphisms), and confirm that differential susceptibility to chronic wasting disease is a highly heritable (h2= 0.611 ± 0.056) polygenic trait in farmed US white-tailed deer, but with greater trait complexity than previously appreciated. We also confirm PRNP codon 96 (G96S) as having the largest-effects on risk (P ≤ 3.19E-08; phenotypic variance explained ≥ 0.025) across 3 US regions (Northeast, Midwest, South). However, 20 chronic wasting disease-positive white-tailed deer possessing codon 96SS genotypes were also observed, including one that was lymph node and obex positive. Beyond PRNP, we also detected 23 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (P-value ≤ 5E-05) implicating ≥24 positional candidate genes; many of which have been directly implicated in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and prion diseases. Genotype-by-environment interaction genome-wide association analysis revealed a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the lysosomal enzyme gene ARSB as having the most significant regional heterogeneity of effects on chronic wasting disease (P ≤ 3.20E-06); with increasing copy number of the minor allele increasing susceptibility to chronic wasting disease in the Northeast and Midwest; but with opposite effects in the South. In addition to ARSB, 38 significant genotype-by-environment single-nucleotide polymorphisms (P-value ≤ 5E-05) were also detected, thereby implicating ≥ 36 positional candidate genes; the majority of which have also been associated with aspects of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and prion diseases.

Project description:White-tailed deer are a culturally and economically important game species in North America, especially in South Texas. The recent discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in captive deer facilities in Texas has increased concern about the potential emergence of CWD in free-ranging deer. The concern is exacerbated because much of the South Texas region is a semi-arid environment with variable rainfall, where precipitation is strongly correlated with fawn recruitment. Further, the marginally productive rangelands, in combination with erratic fawn recruitment, results in populations that are frequently density-independent, and thus sensitive to additive mortality. It is unknown how a deer population in semi-arid regions would respond to the presence of CWD. We used long-term empirical datasets from a lightly harvested (2% annual harvest) population in conjunction with 3 prevalence growth rates from CWD afflicted areas (0.26%, 0.83%, and 2.3% increases per year) via a multi-stage partially deterministic model to simulate a deer population for 25 years under four scenarios: 1) without CWD and without harvest, 2) with CWD and without harvest, 3) with CWD and male harvest only, and 4) with CWD and harvest of both sexes. The modeled populations without CWD and without harvest averaged a 1.43% annual increase over 25 years; incorporation of 2% annual harvest of both sexes resulted in a stable population. The model with slowest CWD prevalence rate growth (0.26% annually) without harvest resulted in stable populations but the addition of 1% harvest resulted in population declines. Further, the male age structure in CWD models became skewed to younger age classes. We incorporated fawn:doe ratios from three CWD afflicted areas in Wisconsin and Wyoming into the model with 0.26% annual increase in prevalence and populations did not begin to decline until ~10%, ~16%, and ~26% of deer were harvested annually. Deer populations in variable environments rely on high adult survivorship to buffer the low and erratic fawn recruitment rates. The increase in additive mortality rates for adults via CWD negatively impacted simulated population trends to the extent that hunter opportunity would be greatly reduced. Our results improve understanding of the potential influences of CWD on deer populations in semi-arid environments with implications for deer managers, disease ecologists, and policy makers.

Dataset Information

Molecular genealogy tools for white-tailed deer with chronic wasting disease.

Publications

Molecular genealogy tools for white-tailed deer with chronic wasting disease.

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