does anyone know anything about mad deer disease?

Question

i heard it is in cabell and wayne wva can other wildlife like rabbit ect and can we eat these animals without danger....
i mean thanksgiving is coming up how about turkey and ham...
thanks sally.....

Answer 1

The disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), which is generally not transmitted between species, but little is known about the prions which cause the disease. Prions are pieces of protein that have some characteristics similar to viruses, so they could potentially mutate and affect a different species, but it not known if they can actually do this. There is a human form of TSE, and there is speculation that the human form may have come from domestic animals, but its just speculation. The only known transmission in humans is genetic.

Birds and humans are way too different, so there is no risk with birds. With other mammals, no one can say for sure that a human won't become infected if they come into contact with blood or brain tissue from an infected animal, but the odds are extremely low. Most governments do not allow infected cows to be eaten.